As of 1st April 2016, the Environment Agency will be implementing changes to hazardous waste regulations.
Premises in England will no longer need to register as hazardous waste producers, regardless of the amount they produce or store on site.
Hazardous waste is generally that which is considered harmful to human health, animals or the environment including:
- Asbestos
- Lead-acid batteries
- Solvent-based inks and paints
- Pesticides
- Oils (excluding edible oils)
- Equipment containing ozone-depleting substances. e.g. fridges
- Hazardous packaging waste
A completed consignment note must still accompany any hazardous waste destined for disposal, although changes will affect the format.
- The accommodate the removal of premises registration the producer will need to amend the first six characters of the consignment note code (currently the premises registration number), replacing them with the first six letters or numbers (not symbols) of the business name. The producer should ensure consistent use of the business name.
- ‘EXEMPT’ will no longer be used.
- The second set of characters will continue to be the five numbers of letters of the producer’s choosing. (This may sometimes be followed by an additional 1 or 2 letters.
The decision to remove the requirement has been made by DEFRA (The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), as part of the Smarter Environmental Regulation.
More than 21,000 regulations and rules are currently under review by the government, with the intention of either improving or deletion.
For information on the hazardous waste services we provide, follow this link to our website.