Waste Legislation

England and Wales alone produce around 400 million tonnes of waste annually and over 1% of this is officially defined as Hazardous Waste:

• Four and a half million tonnes of hazardous waste was produced in England and Wales in 2003
• Government statistics also indicate that fly-tipping doubled between 2001 and 2002
• Reports also show that in 2002, a quarter of all pollution incidents in England and Wales involved hazardous materials

In simple terms, hazardous waste is any material that poses an increased threat to human health or the environment. Any waste could be harmful if it is managed badly or disposed of illegally. However, these risks are very small when hazardous waste is managed properly. Therefore, strict laws are required to control how hazardous waste is managed and the Government is committed to closely monitoring its production, transportation and disposal.

Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005
On July 16th 2005, the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005 were implemented in England and Wales. These Regulations have been designed to simplify the documentation associated with the collection and disposal of hazardous (previously defined as “special”) waste and bring us into line with EU legislation. The ultimate objective is to improve waste management and better protect human health and the environment as a whole.

These Regulations do not cover hazardous waste which may be produced by households and be classed as “domestic waste”, with the exception of asbestos.

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