If you are involved in any way with using, storing, handling or disposing of hazardous waste in England, then you will be interested in a Consultation that has recently been conducted by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (“Defra”)

Defra is responding to a European directive entitled "Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC" that must be implemented in all European member states by the end of next year (12th December 2010 to be precise).

Aim of the Consultation

The consultation is not intended to introduce any new legislation around handling hazardous waste. It is actually seeking to make the application of existing laws easier to understand.


The principal aim of the proposed strategy is to deliver sound and, where necessary, improved hazardous waste treatment. It is built on the concept of the Waste Hierarchy, which defines five priority levels for dealing with hazardous waste. These are designed to deliver the best overall environmental outcome, namely:

1. Prevention – avoid creation of the hazardous waste in the first place
2. Preparing for Re-use
3. Recycling
4. Other forms of Recovery such as Energy
5. Disposal by means other than landfill

Landfill should only be used when all other options have been exhausted

In addition to benefitting the environment, pushing solutions higher up this hierarchy often results in cost savings.

Structure of the Consultation

The consultation document is structured in four parts with a number of additional annexes that provide supplementary and background information. The four parts reflect the structure of the Strategy, namely:

1. The high level principles that underpin the way in which hazardous waste should be managed.
2. A set of decision trees that graphically demonstrate the decision making processes needed to manage hazardous waste in the most effective and environmentally friendly way
3. A timeline with target dates for introducing key stages of the proposed strategy
4. Sources from where additional guidance is currently available on managing and treating hazardous waste.

If you have any responsibility in regard to hazardous waste, then you need to familiarise yourself with this new strategy so that you can prepare by way of procedures, processes and possibly investment to make it work for your advantage as well as benefitting the environment.

You can view the consultation document on the Defra website.