Cookie Policy

What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile phone) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work, work more efficiently, and to provide information to the website owner.

Similar technologies include local storage, session storage, and pixel tags. In this policy, we use the term "cookies" to refer to all of these technologies collectively.

Cookies can be "first-party" (set by the website you are visiting) or "third-party" (set by a different website). They can also be "session" cookies (deleted when you close your browser) or "persistent" cookies (stored on your device until they expire or you delete them).

How We Use Cookies

QWTN - Waste Tools & Compliance uses a minimal number of cookies, focused almost entirely on essential functionality. We do not use advertising, tracking, or behavioural profiling cookies.

Our approach to cookies reflects our commitment to privacy and compliance with UK data protection legislation, including the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) and the UK GDPR.

We keep our cookie usage to the minimum necessary. We do not sell data collected through cookies to third parties, and we do not use cookies for targeted advertising or cross-site tracking.

Essential Cookies

Essential cookies are strictly necessary for the website to function. These cookies do not require your consent under PECR as they are necessary for the service you have requested. Without these cookies, certain core features of the Service cannot operate.

Cookie Name	Purpose	Duration	Type
sb-*-auth-token	Supabase authentication session token. Keeps you logged in and verifies your identity.	Session / up to 1 year	First-party
sb-*-auth-token-code-verifier	PKCE code verifier for secure authentication flow.	Session	First-party
__nf_jwt	Netlify deployment authentication and identity (development/preview only).	Session	First-party
__Host-next-auth.*	CSRF protection token for form submissions and API requests.	Session	First-party

Functional Cookies

Functional cookies remember your preferences and choices to provide a better experience. These use browser local storage rather than HTTP cookies.

Storage Key	Purpose	Duration	Type
qwtn_cookies_accepted	Records that you have acknowledged the cookie banner.	Persistent (until cleared)	Local storage
qwtn_sidebar_collapsed	Remembers your sidebar open/collapsed preference.	Persistent (until cleared)	Local storage
qwtn_theme	Stores your theme preference (light mode).	Persistent (until cleared)	Local storage

These local storage items are set only when you interact with the relevant feature. They are not shared with any third party and do not contain Personal Data.

Analytics Cookies

At present, QWTN - Waste Tools & Compliance does not use any analytics cookies or tracking scripts. We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any similar tracking technologies.

If we introduce analytics cookies in the future, we will:

Update this Cookie Policy before deployment;
Ensure any analytics solution is privacy-respecting and compliant with PECR;
Obtain your consent before setting non-essential analytics cookies;
Favour privacy-first analytics tools that do not use cross-site tracking.

Third-Party Cookies

The following third-party services may set cookies when you use QWTN - Waste Tools & Compliance:

Service	Purpose	Cookie Policy
Stripe	Payment processing and fraud prevention. Sets cookies when you interact with payment forms.	Stripe Cookie Policy
Turnstile (Cloudflare)	CAPTCHA and bot detection on public forms (contact, free note generator).	Cloudflare Cookie Policy
Supabase	Authentication and session management.	Supabase Privacy Policy

We have no control over cookies set by third-party services. We recommend reviewing their cookie policies directly for full details on how they use cookies.

Cookie Duration

Cookies used by the Service fall into two categories by duration:

Session cookies: Temporary cookies that are deleted when you close your browser. Used primarily for authentication flow and CSRF protection.
Persistent cookies: Remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them. Used for remembering your login session (up to 1 year, refreshed on each visit).

Local storage items persist until you clear your browser data or until the application explicitly removes them. They are not sent to the server with each request.

Managing Cookies

You can control and manage cookies in several ways:

Browser settings: Most browsers allow you to view, manage, and delete cookies through their settings. You can block all cookies, accept all cookies, or choose to be notified when a cookie is set.
Clear local storage: You can clear local storage through your browser's developer tools or by clearing all site data in your browser settings.
Private/incognito browsing: Using private browsing mode will prevent persistent cookies from being stored after the session ends.

Common browser cookie management links:

Blocking essential cookies will prevent the Service from functioning correctly. If you block authentication cookies, you will not be able to log in or use the application. We accept no liability for reduced functionality resulting from your cookie settings.

Cookies We Do Not Use

For transparency, we confirm that QWTN - Waste Tools & Compliance does not use:

Advertising or marketing cookies;
Cross-site tracking cookies;
Behavioural profiling cookies;
Social media tracking pixels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, TikTok);
Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager;
Retargeting or remarketing cookies;
Fingerprinting technologies;
Any cookie that tracks you across other websites.

Legal Basis (UK PECR & UK GDPR)

Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), cookies that are "strictly necessary" for providing a service requested by the user do not require consent. This covers our essential authentication and security cookies.

Where we use cookies or similar technologies that are not strictly necessary (for example, preference storage), we rely on:

Consent (PECR Regulation 6): Where required, we obtain your consent through the cookie banner before setting non-essential cookies;
Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR): For functional preferences that directly improve your experience and do not involve Personal Data (e.g. sidebar state, theme preference).

For more information on how we process Personal Data generally, please see our Privacy Policy.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our use of cookies, changes in legislation, or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons.

When we make changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For material changes (such as the introduction of new tracking technologies), we will provide prominent notice on the website or through the Service.

We encourage you to review this page periodically. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

If you have questions about this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies, please contact us:

WhealBit

Data Protection: privacy@qwtn.co.uk

General enquiries: hello@qwtn.co.uk