Any business that produces, or treats waste that is going to landfill may be affected.
The Landfill Directive provides an opportunity for businesses to save money and protect the environment by reducing, sorting and recycling at least some of their waste.
Waste producers, including waste transfer and treatment site operators, must ensure they understand their waste and are able to characterize and describe it properly to help them make a decision about whether it can be recovered or must be disposed of.
Local authorities in England have targets to reduce the amount of Biodegradable Municipal Waste (BMW) that can be deposited into landfill sites.
What you must do as a waste producer
- You must properly characterize and describe your waste and only pass it on to someone who is authorised to accept it, for example a registered waste carrier. You have to do this as part of your Duty of Care.
- You must dispose of your hazardous waste legally. If it must go to landfill it can only be accepted at a site permitted to accept hazardous waste.
- You must ensure that your waste is treated so that part of your waste is recycled or its hazard reduced in some way.
- Tell your waste collector (or waste site) that you have treated your waste. You can use the pre-treatment in the back of our Treatment of Waste for Landfill guidance (available late 2010) to do this, or confirm it on your Duty of Care waste transfer note.
- Speak to your waste collector about the options available to you.
- Your trade association may be able to advise you on options for common wastes in your type of business.
We have produced a number of guidance documents and brief guides which can help you (see below).
What you must do if you treat or sort waste
- You must ensure that you hold the right permission to accept and treat waste, for example an environmental permit issued by us.
- If you change the waste you accept, either by adding to or removing something from it or treating it chemically or physically, you must properly characterize and describe the treated waste before you send it to landfill. You can use the description provided by the original producer as a guide.
- If you treat hazardous waste for disposal to landfill it must meet the landfill waste acceptance criteria for hazardous waste and only go to a site permitted to accept it (e.g. a landfill for hazardous waste or site with a cell for stable, non-reactive hazardous waste). Tests results must be available before you send the waste to landfill or the landfill operator will not be able to accept it.
- You must comply with the Duty of Care.
How we'll regulate
Landfill operators monitor the waste coming to them. We will look at their records to see what waste has been received. We will be able to track waste back to its source to see whether it's being treated and handled properly.
We can take enforcement action against people that fly tip or dump waste which can result in a fine of up to £50,000. We can prosecute anyone who gives their waste to a person who is not authorized to accept it.
This section is an introduction to the rules for accepting waste at landfill sites. It represents our current understanding of the position.
Guidance for businesses
- Hazardous waste
Find out how to register as a hazardous waste producer, what paperwork you need to complete and how you should deal with your hazardous waste.
- How to deal with health care waste (Nov 2010)(PDF, 46KB)
This guidance explains what you should do if you produce or handle healthcare waste and are planning to send it to landfill.
- Guidance on the treatment of waste for landfill (available late 2010)
Guidance for local authorities
Guidance for the waste management industry
- Guidance on the treatment of waste for landfill (available late 2010)
Other sources of guidance
