BUSINESSES across the North West - including Trafford - are struggling to do the right thing with their waste, with almost half admitting to practices that mean they are not complying fully with the law.

A new survey shows that while 98 per cent of businesses in the region think they are complying with obligations under waste ‘duty of care’ law, many are leaving themselves open to unlimited fines, prosecution and potential closure due to their lack of awareness.

The national survey by ‘right Waste, right Place’ - mainly focused on small and medium-sized businesses - found that in the North West, 44 per cent of businesses didn’t know where all their waste goes when it leaves site.

More than a third also admitted to not being sure whether they completed or kept essential waste transfer notes, a key requirement. Many were also unsure on how to correctly classify all the waste materials they handled.

Environmental; services bosses say that by not complying, businesses risk waste falling into the hands of criminals, leading to environmental, health and safety risks through fly-tipping and illegal disposal.

In Trafford alone, more than 1,700 incidents of fly-tipping were recorded in 2014-15, costing the council more than £207,000 in investigations and clearance.

Putting the wrong waste in the wrong place can also cause problems with contamination of material destined for recycling, potentially costing businesses money.

In response, the ‘right Waste, right Place’ campaign has been launched to help businesses understand what is expected of them.

Sam Corp, head of regulation at the ESA, said: “These results back up what we suspected, that small businesses really want to do the right thing but many are ultimately not complying with the law.

“The ‘right Waste, right Place’ campaign is here to help. Small business owners are often stretched, multi-tasking and under pressure. Our campaign provides valuable and easy-to-understand materials that will help them put good practices in place that protect them from breaking the law.”

The campaign research is based on a survey of over 1000 businesses across the UK.

Businesses coming across suspected illegal waste management activities can report it anonymously to Crimestoppers online www.crimestoppers-uk.org or by phoning: 0800 555 111.”

Businesses can find simple guides, need to know cards, case studies and videos online at www.rightwasterightplace.com or by emailing info@rightwasterightplace.com.