Duty of Care

In line with the Environmental Protection Act 1990, producers of controlled waste must ensure that they meet their 'Duty of Care'.

We manage the system on our customers behalf to ensure traceability and accountability, so that all parties comply with law.

The Law on the Duty of Care:

Those companies subject to the duty must ensure the following:

1. To prevent any other person committing the offences of depositing, disposing or recovering controlled waste without a waste management licence, contrary to the conditions of a licence, or in a manner likely to cause environmental pollution or harm to health
2. To prevent the escape of waste (i.e. to contain it)
3. To ensure that, if the waste is transferred, it only goes to an 'authorised person' or to a person for 'authorised transport purposes.'
4. When waste is transferred, to make sure that there is also transferred a written description of the waste along with the EWC code.

The amendments on the Duty of Care Regulations 1991 made it a legal requirement to record the EWC code on all waste transfer notes. The EWC (European Waste Catalogue) classifies waste materials and categorises them according to what they are and how they are produced e.g. hazardous and non-hazardous. 

The EWC is a list of wastes categorised into 20 chapters and contains in the region of 900 six digit codes i.e. 20.03.01 for general mixed waste.