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28 June 2005 - Changes to Hazardous Waste
Rules - Are You Prepared?
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The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
and the waste industry have joined forces to urge businesses to know the facts
on new hazardous waste regulations before the changes come into effect this
July.
Regulations have been brought in to improve the tracking and
safe management of hazardous waste in England, from the producer to the disposal
or treatment facility. These new controls will include a requirement
for most producers of hazardous waste to notify their premises to the
Environment Agency.
As of 16th July this year, new standards - the waste acceptance
criteria (WAC) - will have to be met by all hazardous waste being disposed of to
landfill. For the first time, small businesses, in particular - and
even some larger ones - will now find themselves producing hazardous waste.
Businesses will now have to identify exactly what their waste contains, which in
turn will determine what can be done to minimise the waste, ease its recovery or
ensure its safe disposal.
Various everyday household and business items such as computer
monitors, televisions and fluorescent tubes have been added to the list of
toxic, corrosive and irritant substances because of their chemical content and
materials like asbestos, waste oils and industrial chemicals now come under the
'hazardous' banner.
Ben Bradshaw, Minister for Local Environment Quality commented:
“It is essential that businesses act now. With many
businesses finding themselves hazardous waste producers for the first time, the
full implications of the new controls may not yet be fully appreciated.
"Tailored advice on how to handle your waste is at hand from
your waste contractor and the Environment Agency.
"Further support and waste minimisation advice is available from Envirowise, who
are already working with a range of businesses to help them cut down on its
production in the first place."
Dirk Hazell, a representative from the Environmental Services
Association commented:
"We warmly welcome the Minister's advice to British business.
"It is imperative that hazardous waste continues to be safely managed by
experienced regulated operators and in this capacity ESA's Members are already
working with other sectors of British business to provide affordable and
environmentally sound advice and waste management services.
"As well as being able to handle large and small quantities of hazardous waste,
ESA's Members can offer businesses a hazardous waste registration service.
Working together, we can keep the economy strong and the environment safe."
You can find out more information from the following:
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