Your Waste and The LawUnder Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, all businesses must ensure that any waste produced is correctly stored whilst on the premises and is transported and disposed of by a licensed waste carrier. It is essential that as a business, you set up a contract with a registered waste carrier to have your waste regularly collected.
What every business must do with their waste
1. Any business that produces waste must take reasonable steps to ensure that:
- Waste on the premises is safely contained in appropriate containers
- Spillages are cleared up
- Waste can not be blown away
- Waste produced is transferred to a registered carrier or a waste disposal operator licensed to handle the type and quantity of waste involved
2. Each business must have a completed 'Waste Transfer Note' that:
- Is jointly signed by both the business creating the waste and the company carrying and disposing of the waste
- Specifies the type and amount of waste and how it is contained
- Specifies the place, date and time of transfer
3. Each business must keep a copy of all waste transfer notes for at least two years.
4. Each business in Southwark must inform the council of their waste collection arrangements. If your business has a contract with Southwark's Commercial Waste Service we will already have a record of your arrangements. If your waste is collected by an independent waste carrier, you must inform the council of this. You can do this quickly and easily by clicking this link to complete the Commercial Waste Carrier Notification Form online.
What producers of meat and animal by-product waste must do with their waste
Businesses that produce waste that includes meat or animal by-products must comply with specific regulations.
Since 1999, butchers and fishmongers have had to comply with special regulations for the disposal of raw meat and raw fish. These regulations state that raw meat and raw fish cannot be sent to landfill and must be incinerated or rendered instead. The Animal By-Products Regulations 2003 extended the controls to include other retailers including supermarkets, manufacturers, bakers, wholesalers etc.
The Animal By-Products Regulations 2003 also refer to former foodstuffs of animal origin - i.e. products that contain cooked meat / fish and can be eaten without further cooking. These cooked products can be sent to waste landfill sites until December 2005 providing that they do not contain raw meat or raw fish. If these products do contain raw fish or raw meat, they must be treated as raw animal by-product waste and disposed of as described below.
1. Any business producing waste that includes raw meat or raw fish must keep records that describe how this waste was disposed of including:
- the date on which the waste was taken from the property
- the quantity and description of the waste
- the destination to which it was consigned
- the name of the waste collector transporting it
The records must be kept for two years and must be available to inspectors.
2. Businesses must make sure that
- Raw meat or fish is stored properly while awaiting collection (the length of time that storage is practical will depend on the amount of waste generated and frequency of collection).
- All waste products must be kept separate from food which is intended for sale
- All waste products are clearly marked
Failure to comply with the regulations could result in prosecution, fine and imprisonment. Directors of companies may also be held personally responsible and subject to similar penalties if the do not ensure that their company complies with legislation.
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