From this date, hazardous waste being disposed of in landfill
sites will have to meet new standards, and this will impact on the
disposal of some everyday household and business items such as
computer monitors, televisions and fluorescent tubes. These have
now been classified as hazardous.
This means that small businesses – and even some larger ones –
will now find themselves producing hazardous waste for the first
time, and will have to be able to describe exactly what their waste
contains, so that it can be properly and safely disposed of.
Ben Bradshaw, Minister for Local Environment Quality warned:
“It is essential that businesses act now.
With many businesses finding themselves hazardous waste producers
for the first time, the full implications of the new controls may
not yet be fully appreciated”.
The new rules, called the Hazardous Waste Regulations, will come
into force shortly before an EU law requiring businesses to recycle
their old IT and telecoms equipment is brought into force is
implemented.
The Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE
Directive) sets criteria for the collection, treatment, recycling
and recovery of waste electrical and electronic equipment. It is
due to come into force in August 2005, for the original 15 Member
States, and in August 2007 for the 10 new Member States.
Member States were supposed to have implementing legislation for
both Directives in place by August 2004, but only Greece managed to
comply. The UK missed the deadline, blaming the delay on
difficulties in publishing the draft regulations and guidance
notes, and in its latest advisory, promised to implement the
Directive by January 2006.
A further EU law, the Directive on the Restriction of the Use of
Hazardous Substances (RoHS Directive) facilitates the dismantling
and recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment by
restricting the use of hazardous substances used in their
manufacture. It is due to be in force from 1st July 2006.
The Government has set up a new web site to provide further
information for businesses.
