Environmental Guidelines for Disposing of Hazardous Waste

When you own or operate a business, you are obliged to ensure that it is run in accordance with all legal guidelines, of which there are many. Waste disposal is governed by a particular set of rules and regulations, namely The EU Waste Framework Directive. This directive concerns the collection, transport, recovery and disposal of waste, with the aim of encouraging member states to encourage the prevention and reduction of waste production, as well as the recovery of waste using recycling, re-use and reclamation.

A business owner or operator’s responsibility to the environment is known as their ‘duty of care’. There are extra requirements for businesses that are known as:

  • Producers or holders (producing or storing waste)
  • Carrier (collecting and transporting waste)
  • Consignee (receive waste for recycling and disposal)

Producers and holders

If your business falls into this category, there are a number of steps that must be followed to ensure you are adhering to all relevant regulations:

  • Check and classify your waste as hazardous/non-hazardous
  • Store any hazardous waste separately
  • Use an authorised collection and/or consignee business to collect and recycle or dispose of your hazardous waste. You can check for authorised businesses by checking their environmental permits and waste carrying registrations
  • Fill in consignment notes where applicable. You must keep a copy of your consignment notes and give two copies to the carrier
  • Keep records, or a ‘register’ of all hazardous waste for 3 years at the premises it was stored at

Carrier

If your business collects and transports hazardous waste, these are the rules you must follow:

  • Register as a waste carrier
  • Check parts A and B of consignment notes before accepting any consignment of waste, making sure it is correctly classified
  • Load and separate waste appropriately
  • Fill in your consignment note, leaving one copy with the waste producer or holder and keeping two copies for
  • Any collected waste must be taken to the destination on the consignment note, which must be an authorised waste site
  • Records must be kept for one year

Consignee

If you receive, treat or dispose of hazardous waste, the following steps need to be adhered to:

  • Acquire an environmental permit or register an exemption for your premises
  • Ensure all waste is correctly classified before accepting
  • A missing, incomplete or incorrect consignment note must result in rejection of waste
  • Fill in part E of the consignment note for any hazardous waste accepted or rejected, keeping one copy and leaving one copy with the carrier
  • Send consignee returns to the Environment Agency and the waste producer or holder, reporting any accepted or rejected waste
  • Keep all records.

Hazardous Waste

Dealing with hazardous waste is a complex and delicate process, and there are several materials that are classed as hazardous as they are harmful to the humans or the environment:

  • Asbestos
  • Batteries
  • Solvents
  • Pesticides
  • Chemicals (printer toner, brake fluid)
  • Oils (non-edible ones)
  • Hazardous waste containers
  • Fridges and other appliances containing ozone-depleting substances

Adhering to these guidelines is crucial for creating and maintaining a waste disposal process that is as environmentally friendly as possible. As we generate millions of tonnes of waste every year, environmental agencies and associations are continuously looking for more and more ways to reduce the impact we have on our environment.

Cammack & Wilcox are a leading provider of liquid waste treatment for companies around the UK, from Birmingham to North London and east out to The Wash. If you would like to know more about what we do, please feel free to get in touch with us today and we will be more than happy to help.