Privacy Policy

Last updated:

This privacy policy explains how Techwaste North East Limited ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses and protects your personal information when you use our website or arrange a collection with us. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data openly and lawfully, in line with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Who we are

What information we collect

We only collect the information we need to respond to your enquiry and arrange your collection. When you complete our booking form, contact us by email or phone, or use our live chat, we may collect:

• Your name
• Your email address
• Your phone number
• Your collection address
• Your company or organisation name (if provided)
• The sector you operate in (if provided)
• Details of the equipment you would like collected

We do not knowingly collect any special category data through our website. We do not use website analytics or tracking tools.

How we use your information

We use the information you give us to:

• Respond to your enquiry and arrange a collection;
• Contact you to confirm details, timing and access;
• Provide you with the documentation associated with your collection (such as a waste transfer note and certificate of data destruction);
• Keep records required for our regulatory and tax obligations.

Our legal basis

We process your personal data on the following bases under UK GDPR:

• Legitimate interests — to respond to your enquiry and provide the service you have asked about;
• Contract — where we are arranging and carrying out a collection for you;
• Legal obligation — where we must keep certain records (for example, waste documentation and accounting records).

How long we keep it

We keep enquiry and collection details only for as long as we need them. As a general guide:

• Enquiries that do not lead to a collection are kept for up to 12 months, then deleted.
• Records relating to a completed collection — including waste transfer notes and destruction certificates — are kept for at least three years, as required under waste regulations, and accounting records for at least six years as required by HMRC.

Who we share it with

We do not sell your personal data. We only share it where necessary to provide our service or meet our legal obligations, for example:

• Our email provider (Microsoft 365), which processes the messages you send us;
• Our live chat provider (Tidio), if you choose to use the chat;
• Regulators or authorities where we are legally required to do so.

Data destruction

Where we collect IT equipment from you, any data held on that equipment is destroyed using certified methods (meeting NSA/CSS 130-2, DoD 5220.22-M and HMG IS5 standards) or physically shredded. This is central to our service and is described further on our website.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, to ask us to correct or delete it, to object to or restrict its processing, and to data portability. To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details above.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk if you are unhappy with how we have handled your data.

Cookies

Our website uses a small number of cookies, mainly relating to our live chat. For details, please see our Cookie Policy.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it was last reviewed.