Legal Implications

Legal Implications Environmental Protection
(Duty of Care) Regulations 1991

You may need a waste carrier’s licence if you are moving waste off your site of work. For example, a farmer removing fly tipped waste from his land to the refuse tip, or a garage removing waste vehicle parts to a scrap yard are both in breach of the law if they have no license. Waste Producer Responsibilities:

  • Describe the waste fully and accurately
  • Store waste safely on site * Select an appropriate treatment or disposal method
  • Ensure waste falls within the terms of the waste contractor’s waste management licence
  • Pack waste securely * Check waste carriers’ registration documents
  • Make reasonable checks on the waste carrier or manager
  • Report offences to the Environment Agency
  • Complete and sign a waste transfer note of waste to another party WEEE Directive (Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment)

The UK now has until August 2004 to implement these regulations. The directive covers 10 categories of equipment and includes collection and recycling targets, ruling that producers should be responsible for financing the treatment of their own products, as well as stipulating that WEEE is collected separately and not mixed with unsorted municipal waste. Accurate data management is also required to show recycling targets are being met.

  • The Product Categories
  • Large household appliances
  • Small household appliances
  • IT & Telecommunications equipment
  • Consumer Equipment 6. Lighting Equipment
  • Electrical & Electronic Tools
  • Toys, leisure and sports equipment
  • Medical devices
  • Monitoring and Control equipment
  • Automatic dispensers
phone system waste

Your responsibility

As an organisation you cannot mix your used telecomms equipment with “Municipal Waste” (throw in a skip, wheelie bin, etc). You need to arrange specialised disposal. Some aspects of the “WEEE Regs” seem vague and unlikely to be implemented. But the mandate to dispose of waste responsibly is pretty clear!

See the following links for further guidance:

What this means

You are legally bound to dispose of your used telecomms equipment properly, using a licensed waste carrier and waste management company. A skip will not suffice!

The Duty of Care Regulations have been in place for thirteen years. To supplement them, and to control the amount of electronic equipment being “landfilled”, more legislation comes into effect in August 2004.