Hazardous Waste (England & Wales) Regulations 2005

Hazardous waste is basically waste considered so dangerous or difficult to keep, treat or dispose of, that special provision is required for dealing with it. Typical hazardous wastes on furniture sites will include:

Coating shop residues: e.g. waste thinners, empty solvent based coating tins and obsolete solvent based coatings
Waste oil and oil / water interceptor residues
Fluorescent tubes from lighting and cathode ray tube computer screens

The actual process of deciding whether or not a substance is hazardous waste can be complicated. Waste management companies should be able to provide clarification.

Between 1996 and July 2005, the Special Waste Regulations 1996 controlled special or hazardous waste. From July 2005, the Hazardous Waste ( England & Wales ) Regulations 2005 take effect. This has led to the following changes:

The term “hazardous waste” has replaced “special waste”
Producers of hazardous waste (such as furniture manufacturers) have to register with the Environment Agency on an annual basis
Hazardous waste cannot be mixed with non-hazardous, e.g. it is not acceptable to mix water borne and solvent borne coating wastes in the same drum
Pre-notification of the Environment Agency is no longer required before moving a consignment of hazardous waste