Guide
Hazardous waste rules: what a business must do before it goes
Updated
Hazardous waste rules put the duty on the business that produces the waste: classify it, keep it separate, move it with a consignment note, use a registered carrier and keep the records for 3 years, under the Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005.
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In England
- Classify the waste first: GOV.UK sets out how to tell whether waste is hazardous.
- Use a consignment note whenever the waste is moved.
- Use a registered waste carrier. A new carrier registration with the Environment Agency costs £191.02 and is renewed every 3 years for £130.25.
- Keep the records, known as a register, for 3 years at the premises that produced or stored the waste.
Source: GOV.UK: hazardous waste producers and holders
The instrument behind these duties is the Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005.
Source: The Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Scotland calls hazardous waste special waste and regulates it under the Special Waste Regulations 1996.
Source: The Special Waste Regulations 1996
In Northern Ireland a consignment of hazardous waste carries a fee of £24 or £10, depending on the type of movement, according to DAERA.
Source: DAERA: hazardous waste