Types of waste
There are a number of types of waste – these include household/domestic, business, hazardous and controlled waste.
What is domestic/household waste?
Household waste includes waste from regular household sources – waste collected by refuse collection vehicles; waste from other household sources – e.g. separate collections from households of bulky wastes, clinical waste etc; waste that goes to the local tip; waste collected for recycling or composting.
What is the cost of domestic waste?
Although industrial and commercial activity produces far more waste than individual households do, managing household waste still costs councils a significant amount of money. The estimated cost of waste management to councils is in excess of over £1.3 billion a year.
What is business waste?
Business waste can be anything that commerce or industry produces that they want or need to have removed. This includes materials destined for further use. It is estimated that 180 million tonnes of waste are produced by commerce and industry each year.
What is controlled waste?
All household, commercial and industrial waste is controlled waste and must be monitored throughout its disposal process. Businesses must hold a licence to have their waste removed; waste carriers must be licensed to carry that particular type of waste; and disposal sites must be licensed to dispose of that waste. Ignorance of the need for a licence is not a defence. Householders must ensure waste carriers are registered, failure to do so could result in a fine.
What can I do about business waste?
Members of the public should report nuisance waste from businesses to the local authority, as they have a legal duty to deal with the problem (in relation to certain types of land to which the public has access). If you feel that the local authority has not responded to the complaint, you can apply to the Magistrates’ Court for a Litter Abatement Order under s.91 EPA 1990. Noncompliance with this order can lead to prosecution by a local authority or the Environment Agency.
If you find waste unacceptable in your local area why not become a Keep Britain Tidy supporter and we will keep you updated on everything we are doing to tackle the problem and other environmental issues damaging our local communities.
Keep Britain Tidy runs managing trade waste training courses for both councils and local communities. This course will investigate the conflicting pressures placed on authorities and explore the practical and strategic alternatives for this difficult area.
Many groups involved in the Big Tidy Up www.thebigtidyup.org extend the event to more than litter picking. Often groups use a Big Tidy Up litter pick as a starting point to involve local businesses to renovate an area such as the street scene or local community.
If you are a local authority and are interested in contacting like minded people in other authorities please visit the Waste Matters website