Environment Agency reduces waste red tape for Wholesalers and Contractors
The Environment Agency (EA) this week announced that it would no longer enforce certain documentation when customers drop off trade waste at wholesalers.
The change is contained in a new Regulatory Position Statement (RPS) 283 dated 11 September 2023. This states that customers dropping business waste off at wholesaler sites will not be challenged if they do not supply a Waste Transfer Note, or, in the case of hazardous waste like waste electricals and lamps, a Hazardous Waste Consignment Note.
The RPS does not change the law. Instead it is simply means that no enforcement action will be taken against those who do not comply with it.
As would be expected, there are conditions attached to the RPS. For example, the activities must not cause pollution to the environment, or harm to human health. The wholesaler collection points must comply with all other relevant waste related legislation. The businesses and contractors should only drop off waste that has arisen as a result of their own commercial activities. And the wholesalers must not charge their customers for dropping off the waste.
Commenting on the announcement, Recolight CEO Nigel Harvey said
“It is great to see the EA taking this pragmatic approach. Waste documentation is clearly important to ensure traceability and accountability. But to require consignment and transfer notes every time a business drops off a small amount of waste at their local wholesaler branch seems disproportionate. This change will make it a little bit easier for businesses to ensure their waste is properly collected and recycled.”
The RPS will be in force for three years after which it will be reviewed. It only applies to England.
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About Recolight
Recolight is the leading UK WEEE compliance scheme for the lighting industry, taking on responsibility for its members’ WEEE compliance, giving their customers access to the UK’s most comprehensive free lamp collection and recycling service, and helping to ensure that as many lamps as possible are kept out of landfill.
Recolight’s comprehensive offering makes it the preferred WEEE scheme for the lighting industry, setting the standard for the sector. It is the only WEEE compliance scheme in the UK to provide integrated Lamp and Luminaire collection and recycling. It has the biggest UK-wide network of collection points for all WEEE lighting. As a result, since its founding in 2007, Recolight has funded the recycling of over 370 million lamps, LEDs and luminaires, more than all other UK WEEE schemes put together.
Recycling isn’t always the best solution, Recolight go beyond recycling.
Working with the lighting industry, Recolight offer support and services to help their Producer Members transition to a Circular Economy. With a Re-Use Service, workshops, webinars, Circular Lighting report, and Circular Lighting Live, Recolight is the Compliance Scheme that gives much more.
