Compliance

Waste Carrier Licence

Every carrier on RubbishBids holds a valid Environment Agency waste carrier licence. Here's what that means for you and why it matters.

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What is a waste carrier licence?

A waste carrier licence (formally a "Waste Carrier, Broker and Dealer Registration") is issued by the Environment Agency (EA) and is a legal requirement for any business that transports, buys, sells, or arranges the disposal of controlled waste in England and Wales.

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Controlled Waste (Registration of Carriers and Seizure of Vehicles) Regulations 1991, it is illegal to transport controlled waste without a valid registration. Penalties include unlimited fines and vehicle seizure.

As a waste producer (whether a homeowner or a business), you have a legal "duty of care" to ensure your waste is handled by a licensed carrier. Using an unlicensed carrier could expose you to prosecution — which is why every carrier bidding on rubbish removal jobs in London through RubbishBids has their licence verified against the EA register before they can bid.

What a valid licence means

  • The carrier is registered with the Environment Agency
  • They are legally authorised to transport controlled waste
  • They must dispose of waste at licensed facilities
  • They must provide a waste transfer note for every collection
  • Their registration is publicly verifiable on the EA public register
  • They are subject to EA enforcement and inspection

How we verify carriers

Before any carrier can receive jobs on RubbishBids, they must pass our verification process. We take compliance seriously — an unlicensed carrier on our platform would put our customers at legal risk.

STEP 01

Licence submission

Carriers must provide their EA waste carrier registration number during onboarding.

STEP 02

EA register check

We cross-reference the registration number against the Environment Agency public register to confirm it is valid and active.

STEP 03

Ongoing monitoring

Carrier licences are subject to periodic re-verification. Carriers with lapsed or revoked licences are immediately suspended from the platform.

Your duty of care

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, anyone who produces, imports, carries, keeps, treats, or disposes of controlled waste has a legal duty of care. This means you must:

Only use a registered waste carrier to transport your waste.
Ensure your waste is described accurately when handing it over.
Obtain and keep a waste transfer note for every collection.
Keep waste transfer notes for at least 2 years (businesses) or 12 months (householders).

When you use RubbishBids, every carrier who bids on your rubbish removal job in London is EA-licensed, and every collection comes with a waste transfer note. Whether you need house clearance or construction waste removal, you can use the platform with confidence that your duty of care obligations are being met.

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