Natasha Dix, head of waste services, IW Council:

We WOULD like to thank the County Press for publishing the recent response issued regarding our recent work to educate holiday let and bed and breakfast owners who may not have been aware of their duty of care regards waste disposal.

However, The IW Council does not agree the letters sent to them are in any way ‘bullying and threatening’. The media enquiry received from the County Press did not reference this either.

The letters sent out reminded residents of their legal obligation to safely contain and dispose of any waste produced as a result of their businesses, which are classified as commercial waste producers under the Controlled Waste Regulations (2012) and to check all such properties have up to date waste transfer notes.

It is important we treat all businesses on the Island fairly. The letters provided asked residents to provide evidence of their commercial collections as per The Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 Part 9: 35 (6); which states ‘The transferer and the transferee must keep a transfer note, or a copy of it, for at least two years and produce it to an officer of the Environment Agency or of a waste collection authority on demand within seven days’.

The council also offers waste collection services for businesses. However, it was made clear they are in no way obligated to use the council’s commercial waste services; other registered waste carriers are available.

With reference to:  ‘Where properties are of mixed use (e.g. have owners’ accommodation or are a B&B the owners live in) — the council has asked for evidence of the commercial waste element being separately collected, from the household waste’; bed and breakfasts are still entitled to the household collection service for the permanent residents/ owners’ accommodation,  as long as they can provide evidence they have a commercial collection in place.

The household subscription service covers the business’s legal requirements to be able to produce a waste transfer note.

Editor’s footnote: Although the terms bullying and threatening were not put to the council, Mr Best’s comment that it was ‘unfair’ was. He made the other claims later. Since the story, other businesses have contacted us to complain.

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