If you’re an obligated packaging producer with packaging producer responsibility, you have a legal duty of care when it comes to disposing of waste.
You are required to:
It’s important to note that if your company handles hazardous waste, it has an extra set of responsibilities to follow.
Hazardous waste generally refers to any material or substance that is harmful to humans or the environment. This could include:
It’s your legal obligation to make sure that any hazardous waste produced or handled by your business causes no harm or damage.
Your obligations when it comes to disposing of hazardous waste will depend on whether you are a:
Any waste produced from commercial activity – directly or as a by-product – is considered business waste. If you use part of your home to run your business, then any waste that comes from that part of your home is classed as business waste.
Business waste also includes any waste that comes from construction, demolition, agriculture, and the industrial sector.
You must store waste safely and securely. As well as securing waste in a safe place, you must also:
You must also store different types of waste separately, so that:
For each load of non-hazardous waste you move off your premises, you need a waste transfer note or a document with that information, e.g. an invoice.
Both your business and the business taking your waste need to fill in the applicable sections of the waste transfer note before signing and keeping a copy of it for two years. You may need to show the waste note to an enforcement officer from your local council or the Environment Agency if asked.
You should include enough information in the waste transfer note to enable the business taking your waste to handle and dispose of it safely.
Find out if your business is classed as an obligated packaging producer.
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Alison Wild BCom (Hons), FMAAT, MATT, Taxation Technician is a highly respected industry professional who has been working with and advising SMEs in areas including tax, pensions, insurance and marketing for over 25 years. She is a Fellow member of the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), a member of the Association of Tax Technicians (ATT) and also has 20 years' experience as a residential landlord.
Date: July 10, 2024
Category: Small Business