Legislation Changes for Waste

As of 1st April 2016 as part of the Cut the Red Tape Challenge the regulations in England are changing for companies handling hazardous waste regarding Premises Registration.

Currently where 500kg or more of hazardous waste is produced, collected at or removed from premises, the premises must be registered with the Environment Agency who will issue a unique premises registration number. The premises registration number is used on consignment notes as part of the unique number used, which facilitates tracking movements of waste.

From 1st April, regardless of the amount of hazardous waste produced, stored or handled, premises registration will not be required in England and the consignment note code format will change.

The first six characters of the consignment note code (currently the premises registration number) will be replaced by the first six characters of the business name.

It will be the responsibility of the producer to ensure consistent use of the business name on all documents. The second set of characters will continue to be five numbers or letters of your choosing. Legally you are still required to use the current format on consignment notes up until 1st April 2016.

The findings of the Cut the Red Tape Challenge can be found at https://cutting-red-tape.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Waste-Findings.pdf

The legislation regarding SIC codes will also be changing. SIC 2007 codes will have to be used on consignment notes to match the present requirements for non-hazardous waste.

These changes only apply to England; it does not affect premises in other parts of the UK. If you are sending waste from Wales into England, the consignment note code will not be changed.

Welsh producers will still be required to register their premises with Natural Resources Wales and use their registration number in their consignment note code.