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Recycling and waste

Homepage > Environmental Protection > Recycling and Waste > Types of waste > Hazardous waste > Hazardous / Special Waste Regulations

Hazardous Waste

Hazardous/Special Waste Regulations - guidance and background material

The term special waste is obsolete in England and Wales from July 2005 when the new hazardous waste regime replaces the special waste regime. Hazardous wastes are the most dangerous wastes. The information here should be of interest to anyone who uses chemicals, products with hazard symbols and/or safety data sheets, and who produces waste, as they may be producing hazardous waste. They will also be useful to anyone else who has to dispose of, carry, keep or treat such wastes.

On 16 July 2005 the Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations and the List of Wastes (England) Regulations come into force replacing the Special Waste Regulations. The Special Waste Regulations 1996 transposed the requirements of the European Hazardous Waste Directive (91/689/EEC) which sets out requirements for the controlled management of hazardous (special) waste. The Regulations set out procedures to be followed when disposing of, carrying and receiving hazardous waste. The Special Waste regulations 1996 were amended by the Special Waste (Amendment) Regulations 1996, the Special Waste (Amendment) Regulations 1997 and the Special Waste (Amendment) (England & Wales) Regulations 2001. These can be found on the The Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) web site at. www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/.

Defra issued guidance giving background information and interpretation of changes to the arrangements for handling special waste introduced by The Special Waste (Amendment) Regulations 2001.

The Department of the Environment Transport & the Regions commissioned a review of the Special Waste Regulations, from the consultants Enviros-Aspinwall, which was published in June 2000 (the review process included a consultation exercise published in January 2000). The report recommended steps that could be taken to improve the Regulations. Defra carried out a root and branch review of the Regulations. This was intended to carry forward some of the recommendations made by Enviros-Aspinwall and to fully implement the revised European Waste Catalogue into UK law. A preliminary consultation setting out the Department's proposals was issued in March 2001. These documents are indexed below. Defra consulted further on new Hazardous Waste Regulations for England in July 2004. The new Regulations take into account the consultation responses.

The new regime includes a requirement for most producers of hazardous waste to notify their premises to the Environment Agency. The facility to notify premises has beenavailable since April 2005. Preliminary guidance on notification was published by Defra in January 2005. Guidance on notification, including the on-line notification facility, and more general guidance on the new regime can be found on the Environment Agency's hazardous waste pages.

Material available

Relevant information available on the this website is as follows:


Contacting Defra

If you want further information that is not covered by these pages, you can contact us by e-mail at: waste.policy@defra.gsi.gov.uk. Enquiries about issues relating to hazardous waste in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland should be addressed to the appropriate devolved administration.

 

Page last modified: 16 April 2007
Page published: 5 February 2003

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs