To comply with the Environmental Protection Act all businesses must dispose of their waste in a legally recognised manner. Businesses can show their compliance with these regulations by being in possession of a Duty of Care or Waste Transfer Note. These are issued by businesses or organisations that collect waste from commercial premises.

The Council offers a reliable and competitive service to all businesses in East Lothian through their Trade Waste collection.  Further information on this service, including charges, collection frequencies and methods, can be obtained by contacting the Waste Services team.

Businesses may also use the Special Lifts service to have excess waste or bulky items uplifted.  As of 1st April 2008 the charge for this service is £112.80 (including VAT), based on a maximum of 20 sacks.  Fridge-freezers can also be collected from trade premises at a cost of £40 per unit.  Recycling Centres can be used by businesses to dispose of their waste at a cost of £2.76 (including VAT) per sack if the waste is in bags, or £88.13 per tonne (including VAT) if it is not.  There is a minimum charge of 0.5 tonnes and a waste transfer note must be completed at the time.