What is classed as commercial waste?

Commercial waste is any waste from premises used for a trade or business, or for sport, recreation or entertainment. That is the definition in section 75 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. It covers the everyday rubbish of a shop, office, café, salon or warehouse: packaging, food waste, paper, cans, bottles, old stock and broken furniture. Waste from a factory or workshop process is classed separately as industrial waste, and a home's waste is household waste. The label matters because commercial waste carries the duty of care: a registered carrier, a waste transfer note for each load, and no use of household bins or household recycling centres.