HAZARDOUS WASTE

Hazardous wastes can be described in several ways. It is defined in the law as “any substance or object …which the holder discards or intends or is required to discard.” Hazardous wastes are wastes that possess substantial threats to public health or the environment. Four factors determine whether or not a substance is hazardous: ignitable (i.e., flammable), reactivity, corrosive, and toxicity.

A hazardous waste is a special type of waste because it cannot be disposed of by common means like other by-products of our everyday lives. These wastes may be found in different physical states such as gaseous, liquids, or solids. Depending on the physical state of the waste, treatment and solidification processes can be determined. Simply put, waste is an item that is thrown away because it is no longer useful or required by its owner. Waste is generated on a daily basis and if not properly managed can affect our health and the quality of the environment. Waste can be further broken down into different types including household waste, industrial waste, clinical waste and hazardous waste.

See the link below for the full Legislation and more information.

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:312:0003:0030:EN:PDF

WASTE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT (WEEE)

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) was introduced in January 2007 by the Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment Regulations 2006. The WEEE Directive aims to reduce the amount of electrical and electronic equipment being produced and to encourage everyone to reuse, recycle and recover it. The Directive also aims to improve the environmental performance of businesses that manufacture, supply, use, recycle and recover electrical and electronic equipment.

If you are an importer, rebrand agent or manufacturer of new electrical or electronic equipment, it’s likely that you’ll need to comply with the UK’s WEEE Regulations, which in part implement the WEEE Directive. If you do need to comply, then you must register on a producer compliance scheme.

You may also have obligations under the WEEE Regulations if you are a business with electrical or electronic equipment to dispose of, or if you sell electrical or electronic equipment.

CHANGES TO THE WASTE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT (WEEE) REGULATIONS

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Amendment) Regulations 20091 (“the Amendment Regulations”), which came into force on 1 January 2010, have been designed to reduce the overall administrative burden on businesses by streamlining the WEEE system.

For more information on this and to see if it affects you please click the link below to the Environment agency website and a PDF with full guidelines.

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Business/WEEE_2009_amendments_factsheet_.pdf

REFRIGERATION PRODUCTS

In 2002 European regulations were brought in to force that state that the insulation foam found inside a refrigerator has to be removed to prevent the release of chemicals known as Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS). ODS include CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) and HCFCs (hydro chlorofluorocarbons), both of which are harmful to the environment. CFCs and HCFCs were used in the coolant systems and insulation foam of refrigeration units up until the mid-1990s. Appliances made before this time will still contain the gases and therefore need to be disposed of according to the correct channels.