Non-hazardous waste disposal: your obligations
| Since March 2007, all Scottish businesses have been obliged to "treat" non-hazardous waste before sending it to landfill. Failing to comply with the law could lead to prosecution. Tom Whitney reviews your obligations | |
Businesses generating hazardous waste are accustomed to following strict rules governing disposal. Since 31 March 2007, the Landfill Regulations 2003 (Scotland) have obliged firms to "treat" their non-hazardous waste, too. The legislation applies to all businesses, regardless of size or sector. "As with any new legislation we introduce, our main priorities are awareness and understanding, so that businesses are compliant - enforcement is not our main priority," stresses Adrian Bond, SEPA central waste team manager. "But ultimately, those that don't comply could face financial penalties." Waste treatment The Regulations state that a business or its waste contractor must "treat" the waste to reduce its volume, make it easier to handle or simpler to recycle. For most businesses, this translates into sorting waste into different materials, such as paper, glass, plastic and organic waste, with a view to enabling some or all of it to be recycled. "A newsagent might simply separate out their cardboard, food and plastic waste and that would be sufficient," explains Bond. "Not all the waste has to be separated - just some of it. The requirement is simply to treat the waste in some way so that it is reduced or easier to handle." Cost savings Your waste contractor must be registered with SEPA; alternatively, you can pay your local authority to collect your rubbish. But it must be sorted before going to landfill - doing it yourself can offer considerable savings. "By sorting your waste yourself, you can reduce the handling charge you have to pay contractors and the amount of landfill tax you pay," Bond confirms. At present the lower rate of landfill tax is £2 per tonne for rocks and soil, but this is increasing to £2.50 per tonne from April 2008. Every other type of non-hazardous waste is charged at the standard rate of £24 per tonne, but this will go up to £32 per tonne from April 2008. Compliance "The laws which came in this March haven't made a big difference to the way small firms operate, because most businesses were already segregating their waste or getting their contractor to do it for them," notes Bond. "But if your business produces waste, you should review how you manage it, including whether it needs to be produced at all. "Businesses will also get a better handle on where they are wasting resources by segregating it," he concludes. "It can highlight areas where they are inefficient, can make cost savings and recycle." |
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