Hazardous waste

Hazardous waste is any waste classified as such by the European Waste Catalogue. Any business producing hazardous waste must ensure it is disposed of properly and in most circumstances that they are registered with the Environment Agency as a hazardous waste producer.

The regulations
The new Hazardous Waste (England) Regulations 2005 came into force on 16th July 2005. Under these new regulations, organisations must ensure that their hazardous waste (some of which was formerly known as special waste) is segregated from the general dry waste and disposed of appropriately.

Common hazardous waste items include:

• Industrial – Fluorescent tubes and sodium lamps, spillages, aerosols, paint in original containers, original containers containing residues.
• Automotive – Lead acid batteries, contaminated spills and rags, oil and fuel filters, aerosols, antifreeze and brake fluids, fluorescent tubes and sodium lamps, tyres.
• Offices – Fluorescent tubes and sodium lamps, toner/laser cartridges, ink jet cartridges.
• General – Fluorescent tubes and sodium lamps, toner/laser cartridges, ink jet cartridges, lead acid batteries, contaminated rags, spillages, oil and fuel filters, aerosols, antifreeze and brake fluids.

What to do
If suitable reuse or recycling options are not available for specific hazardous wastes and landfilling has been selected as the most appropriate disposal method, the waste must now undergo pre-treatment prior to landfilling. SITA UK offers a variety of collection services for hazardous wastes. In addition to providing collection and disposal routes for your hazardous waste, SITA UK can also provide UN approved containers for waste storage and the correct paper work for waste transfers.

Click one of the following links for more information:

· Asbestos disposal
· HazXchange service (for small amounts of hazardous waste)
· Other hazardous waste

Additional information
Waste classified as hazardous is subject to a wide range of legal requirements prior to transportation and disposal. More information on the specific regulations can be found on the Environment Agency’s website at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/newrulesonwaste.

All waste needs to be characterised by a European Waste Catalogue (EWC) code for the purposes of collection, treatment and disposal. Hazardous waste is no exception, and the appropriate EWC codes can be found at www.hmso.gov.uk.