Frequently Asked Questions
What is special waste?Where can I get a list of special wastes?
Will the list of special waste get longer with he Landfill Directive?
Where do I get special waste consignment notes from?
What information needs to be supplied on a waste transfer (Duty of Care) note?
What is the difference between a consignment note and a Duty of Care note?
Can I burn my rubbish?
Special waste is defined in the Special Waste Regulations 1996 and subsequent amendments. In brief it refers to waste that is difficult or dangerous to handle. The assessment of whether a waste is special is usually a desk top exercise using various data sources, guidance is available from the Environment Agency web site. All movements of special waste must be accompanied by a special waste consignment note available from the Environment Agency.
Where can I get a list of special wastes?
Unfortunately, there is no single, definitive list of special wastes. Some common special wastes include batteries, sodium lights, oils and oil filters, oily condensate from compressed air installations, paint and ink, chemical wastes, solvents and other similar waste fluids.
The determination of what is special waste is usually a desk top exercise using various data sources, guidance is available from the Environment Agency web site.
Will the list of special waste get longer with he Landfill Directive?
There is no single, definitive list of special wastes. That said, the Landfill Directive will not increase the scope of the special waste regime. The Landfill Directive seeks to reduce the volume of waste that is landfilled by, for example, prohibiting certain waste types from landfills and requiring wastes to be pre-treated before landfilling. Therefore, your waste disposal options and costs may be affected. As always, waste prevention is the preferred option. Click here to learn more.
Where do I get special waste consignment notes from?
When you have worked out how many you need and of what type, you should contact the Environment Agency to place an order:
| · | telephone: 08457 00 11 66; |
| · | fax: 01733 358 172; or |
| · | write to: Environment Agency, PO Box 263, Peterborough, PE2 8YE. |
Notes pre-printed with codes, or a list of codes for your own stationery, if preferred, will be dispatched to you with an invoice. Carrier schedules can also be obtained. Please note that you can only obtain codes for use on your own stationery from the Peterborough office.
Small numbers of pre-printed notes (up to 20) can be purchased in person for cash from Environment Agency Area Offices. Please call 0845 9333111 to find out where your nearest office is.
What information needs to be supplied on a waste transfer (Duty of Care) note?
The Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991 states the following written information must be transferred with loads of controlled waste:
| · | what the waste concerned is, its quantity and whether it is loose or what it is contained in. |
| · | the time and place of the transfer of waste |
| · | the name of the transferor (person passing on the waste) on and the transferee (name of the person receiving it). |
| · | whether or not the transferor is the producer or importer of the waste and if this is so, which. |
| · | whether the transfer is for authorised transport purposes (moving waste from one place to another within a premises, plus purposes related to waste that has been imported or being exported - take further advice). |
| · | For both the transferor and transferee, whether they are holders of a waste management licence, a registered carrier of waste, exempt from either of these requirements (and if so, why) or waste collection or disposal authorities. Licence numbers/reasons for exemption etc. need to be stated. |
Click to view or download a suggested transfer note. Don't forget though, that both parties to the transfer need to have copies of the note and retain them for a minimum of 2 years.
A "Season Ticket" can be used if the same type of waste, contained in the same way, transferred between the same parties, removed from and taken to the same locations, is to occur on a repeat basis e.g. large quantity of spoil to be removed from a site by a series of truck movements or similar commercial waste to be removed on a weekly basis from a business premises. The season ticket should contain the full information as detailed above and be dated on the day of the first transfer. It is recommended that a new one be drawn up every 12 months. Records should be kept to confirm how may loads have been taken.
It may be useful to note that existing paperwork, if it contains or can be modified to contain the required information, should be able to meet the Duty of Care paperwork requirements.
What is the difference between a consignment note and a Duty of Care note?
The Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991 state that certain written information must be passed with loads of controlled waste. Where the controlled waste concerned is not hazardous (and so known as "special") this paperwork is often referred to as a Duty of Care note or a waste transfer note. The term "consignment note" is commonly used to refer to the paperwork required to move special waste from one place to another. A properly completed special waste consignment note will fulfil the requirements of the Duty of Care.
If you produce controlled waste as part of a business activity, in general you cannot burn it to dispose of it.
There are some exceptions to this, which are set out in Schedule 3 of the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994. In particular if you work in demolition, or landscape management you may be able to burn wood, bark or other plant material under certain conditions in the open, provided that you do not cause a nuisance (smoke/odour). Other exceptions relate to, for example, specific waste types, being burnt for specific applications/benefits, some such activities require authorisations from your local authority.
The Environment Agency web site hosts a tool known as "NetRegs" which has been developed to support managers of small and medium sized enterprises in England and Wales in identifying environmental legislation relevant to their business. Some sector specific information is available, and for those sectors not yet catered for generic information is provided. The tool helps you to consider your business in terms of raw material inputs, products and waste outputs. It provides guidance on what you should consider doing to meet the requirements, but cannot take the place of site specific guidance, assistance with which can be gained through your egeneration local site.
