[Video 1] Hazardous materials and waste management

19th September 2023

Welcome to the first video in our series Environmental law in practice. Click here to visit our content hub to find more information about our team and how we can help.

Effective waste management is crucial for ensuring environmental compliance and delivering cost efficiencies for any business. Industry experts, Josh Kitson, and Rachel Turnbull, highlight key considerations and provide practical recommendations to help you.

“Waste management covers a wide range of issues from hazardous materials and contaminated land, through to packaging obligations and operating in accordance with the waste hierarchy. This video covers some of the key issues you may face as well as providing practical tips to help ensure your company remains compliant.”

– Josh Kitson, Director, Planning & Environment

Watch the video below.

Trash bags compiled together to represent hazardous materials and waste manamgenet

Key points:

Understanding waste management: The importance of handling waste properly, considering its type (including hazardous and non-hazardous), origin and volume to comply with legislation.

Benefits of accurate planning: Accurate waste estimation allows for successful cost estimation. Adhering to the waste hierarchy — reduce, reuse, and recycle — ensures optimization of resources.

Compliance and risk mitigation: Strict regulations govern waste management (in particular, hazardous materials). Non-compliance can lead to severe consequences, including civil sanctions and / or prosecutions.

Preventing issues: Have specific and tailored plans for dealing with both hazardous and non-hazardous materials. Continuous review of operations of the company, ensures that any new environmental issues are planned for and addressed (for example if company growth results in it being caught by additional legislation, such as the packaging regulations.

Responsibility for waste management: Every business has a duty of care in respect of the waste it generates or handles, and liability can also fall on company directors. This emphasizes the need for proper allocation of responsibility for waste management in a business.

Practical recommendations: Continuously review the waste management plan. Keep members of staff aware of their responsibilities through regular training. Seek expert advice when needed and at an early stage.

Handling issues: Address issues promptly and share lessons learned to avoid recurrence. Engage proactively and effectively with the regulator and take advice on managing the relationship with the regulator.

Promoting environmental stewardship is critical for businesses who produce or handle waste during their operation.

Hazardous materials & effective waste management – How we can help

If you are undertaking a large-scale project and want to ensure that you avoid any issues, contact our Environment team for advice and support. Visit our Environmental law in practice hub to explore more resources.