Waste: information & resources

Efficient use of resources and the effective management of waste are essential features of an environmentally sustainable economy. The waste stream contains resources, which can be reused or recycled to deliver economic value, resulting in greater resource efficiency. Sustainable waste management is now high on the UK government’s agenda. Significant Government strategy exist, including reforms to improve waste management, increase to the landfill tax and a sustainable waste delivery programme to reduce waste volumes and promote recycling and new waste management technologies.

This section provides an overview of the various aspects of waste generation and waste management in the UK. This section also looks at the evolution of effective waste management and the current legislation in the context of brownfield remediation, the landfill directives.

Industrial waste information & resources

The information presented is concerned with non-radioactive solid wastes and sludge and does not deal with wastes discharged directly to water/atmosphere or contamination arising from old waste disposal practices which have since ceased.

• Waste Overview
• History of Waste Management
• Waste Statistics
       ¤  Waste Production
       ¤  Waste Disposal/Recovery

Waste Classification - This section details how waste is classified into controlled and non-controlled waste.

• Waste Classification
       ¤  Controlled Waste
            »  Household Waste
            »  Industrial Waste
            »  Commercial Waste
            »  Clinical Waste
                 ¤  Hazardous
                 ¤  Non-Hazardous
       ¤  Non-Controlled Waste
            »  Agricultural Waste
            »  Mine & Quarry Waste

Waste Management Options - This section details how waste is currently managed

• Waste Management
       ¤  Waste Reduction
       ¤  Waste Re-Use
       ¤  Waste Recovery
            »  Recycling
            »  Composting
            »  Energy
       ¤  Waste Disposal
            »  Landfill

Landfill

Landfilling is a core component of waste management in the UK with over 4000 existing sites. However as legislation is introduced which aims to decrease the dependence on landfill and regulate the materials disposed of at the sites the landfilling of wastes is increasingly becoming a hot topic. This section provides a detailed overview of the landfill waste management and disposal option. A Guide to Landfill Background to Landfill Overview of Landfill Regulations 2002 Part 1: Preliminary provisions Part 2: Landfill permits Schedule 1: Waste Acceptance Criteria Schedule 2: General requirements Schedule 3: Monitoring procedures Schedule 4: Transitional provisions Implementation timetable

Waste Legislation

This section provides an overview of various environmental acts and regulations concerning waste. Waste Legislation Special Waste Legislation Batteries Directive The Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (ROHS) Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive on End of Life Vehicles (ELVs)

Relevant Waste Case Law

This section provides actual examples of case law, which are relevant to the field of waste, for the UK and Europe. Waste Case Law

Want more information?

If you would like more information about the relevant government agencies, consultations, reports and specific legislation related to Waste, take a look at the links section. Waste Links