Hazardous Waste Forum

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Note: these Terms of Reference are subject to agreement by the Forum at its first meeting.

1.0 Background

1.1 As a country ¹ we produce approximately 5 million tonnes of hazardous waste ² each year. Against a background of significant change in legislation governing the management of hazardous waste, the Government aims to reduce both the quantity and the hazardousness of waste which is produced. Where it is produced, hazardous waste should be managed safely. Action involves a range of sectors: central and local government, regulators, and industry.

1.2 The House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee considered these issues, and accepted that a separate hazardous waste strategy was not necessary ³. The Committee supported the suggestion that Government set up a Hazardous Waste Forum to consider the demands on industry of existing and forthcoming legislation, to consider targets for hazardous waste reduction and recovery and to provide a means for bringing all relevant sectors together to work towards the goals of reducing hazardous waste and managing it safely. The Government supports that suggestion, and proposes the following terms of reference for the Forum:

2.0 Proposed Terms of Reference

2.1 The Forum will have the following key objectives:-

A] To advise within 6 months on the way ahead over the next 5 years to achieve hazardous waste reduction and environmentally sound management of such wastes, including advice on key decisions to be made, the timing of those decisions and encompassing consideration of targets for hazardous waste reduction.

B] To identify opportunities to reduce the production of hazardous waste and the recovery of that which is produced.

C] To consider the impacts of existing and forthcoming legislation, and advise on the content and dissemination of Government and/or Environment Agency advice and guidance to waste producers and waste managers about that legislation; and

D] To provide a better basis for forward planning by providing up to date and reliable data on hazardous waste production and management, and make any relevant recommendations about how data collection and analysis could be improved.

In order to achieve these objectives the Forum will need to:-

E] Consider what data is and should be available on hazardous waste arisings and the present and future capacity to deal with such arisings.

F] Set out clearly the requirements of and any uncertainties resulting from current and known prospective legislation.

3.0 Phasing of work

3.1 It follows from the draft terms of reference that the Forum should concentrate initially on drawing up the issues that must be addressed to achieve a way forward on hazardous waste reduction and management, and consideration of possible targets for hazardous waste reduction. This should be its goal for the first 6 months. For the following 18 months the Forum should consider opportunities to reduce the production of hazardous waste and the recovery of that which is produced, the content and dissemination of Government and/or Environment Agency advice, and the provision of a better basis for forward planning through improved data collection. It is proposed that the work of the Forum and its raison d'être be reviewed by Ministers after two years.

4.0 Membership and meetings

4.1 It is proposed that the following organisations will be full members of the Forum:-

British Cement Association
British Retail Consortium
Chartered Institution of Wastes Management
Chemical Industries Association
Defra (Chair)
Department of Trade and Industry
Environment Agency
Environmental Services Association
Friends of the Earth
Green Alliance
Local Government Association

4.2 The Forum will invite other organisations/individuals to attend when appropriate.

4.3 In addition it is proposed that the following will be corresponding members of the Forum, and receive all papers:

In alphabetical order:
Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Waste Group
British Metals Recycling Association
Confederation of British Industry
Construction Confederation
DoE Northern Ireland
Environmental Industries Commission
Federation of Small Businesses
Health and Safety Executive
Motor Vehicle Dismantlers Association
National Household Hazardous Waste Forum
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Oil Recycling Association
Scottish Environmental Protection Agency
Scottish Executive
Soil and Groundwater Technology Association
UK Cleaning Products Industry Association
UK Petroleum Industries Association
UK Steel Association
Waste Resources Action Programme
Waste Watch
Welsh Assembly Government

4.4 It is proposed that the Forum should meet every two months during the initial period of 6 months, and thereafter at quarterly intervals, and that its agenda, papers and minutes will be publicly available on the Defra website.

4.5 The Forum's raison d'être should be reviewed after 2 years.

Defra
December 2002

1 England and Wales
2 Currently termed special waste in the UK
3 Hazardous Waste report printed 17 July 2002, HC 919