What is Waste?

As householders and businesses we all produce waste. The EC Waste Framework Directive defines waste as: "waste" means any substance or object which the holder disposes of or is required to dispose of pursuant to the provisions of national law in force; (1)OJ No C 32, 11.2.1975, p. 36. (2)OJ No C 16, 23.1.1975, p. 12. (3)OJ No C 112, 20.12.1973, p. 3.

It can be anything you own, or your business produces, and you want, or are required to get rid of, i.e. "any substance or object…which the holder discards or intends to discard or is required to discard."

Everyone produces waste. In fact, The UK produces around 330 million tonnes of waste annually - a quarter of which is from households and business. The rest comes from construction and demolition, sewage sludge, farm waste and spoils from mines and dredging of rivers.

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By law we all have a "duty of care" to dispose of waste responsibly.

The duty of care law says that you must take all reasonable steps to keep waste safe. If you give waste to someone else, YOU must be sure they are authorized to take it and can transport, recycle or dispose of it safely. If you break this law, YOU can be fined an unlimited amount.

YOU and not the person you hired is responsible for your removed rubbish.

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Who has authority to take waste?

• Registered waste carriers:
  Most carriers of waste have to be registered with the Environment Agency or the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Ask to look at the carrier's certificate of registration or check with the Agencies.
• Holders of waste management licences Some licences are valid only for certain kinds of waste or certain activities. Ask to see the licence. Check that it covers your kind of waste.         

The Government has issued practical waste guidance in a Code of Practice.

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Waste definitions:

1. Domestic Waste (usually described as domestic rubbish), is:

• “Any substance which constitutes a scrap material or an effluent or other unwanted surplus substance arising from the application of a process; or; any substance or article which requires to be disposed of as being broken, worn out, contaminated (but see hazardous waste below), or otherwise spoilt (not explosives)" (Ref EPA90,s.75).

Examples of waste (rubbish) are; Newspapers, tin cans, plastic bottles, discarded sweet wrappers, garden foliage, worn out washing machines etc.

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2. Hazardous(nasties), is often generally described as:

• “waste which contains hazardous substance(s) in a quantity liable to cause death, injury or impairment to living beings, pollution of waters, or an unacceptable impact on the environment if it is not properly treated.”
• The term ‘hazardous waste’ and ‘special waste’ are sometimes used synonymously and often encompass Toxic and Clinical Waste.

Toxic Waste:  This is a category which describes waste with a toxic property liable to affect living organisms.  Examples are; Cyanide or Heavy Metals.

Clinical Waste:  This category is defined in terms of two hazardous properties, infectivity and toxicity.

• Described in the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992 (SI No 588), clinical waste includes; “human or animal tissue, blood or other bodily fluids, excretions, drugs, swabs or dressings, syringes, needles or other sharp instruments.”  Therefore, any object that is, or has been, contaminated with fluids arising from an infectious disease falls into this category. Items in this category are to be taken to an incineration site for disposal.

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3. Difficult Waste: This category falls between domestic and hazardous waste.

• This term is used to describe wastes “which could, in certain circumstances, be harmful to human health or the environment in the short or long term due to their chemical or biological properties”.  Just to make things interesting, the EC Directive 91/15/EEC lists examples such as: dry cell batteries, fluorescent tubes, sodium/mercury lamps, mineral oils, fridges/freezers etc.  These items are difficult to dispose of and must be taken to an Environment Agency recognised site which has the facilities to handle them.  For this reason, collection contractors will charge a premium as the contractor, in turn, will be charged at the point of disposal.

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http://www.defra.gov.uk/
(Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/legislation/duty.htm#5
(Defra's core purpose is to improve the current and future quality of life.)

http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/index.aspx
(The WasteOnline website is managed by Waste Watch and has been funded by the New Opportunities Fund Digitise project.)

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk
(the Environment Agency's official web site)

The Environment Agency's Enquiry Line is: 0845 933 111

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