The Environmental Protection Act 1990

The key piece of UK environmental legislation is the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA), which places a Duty of Care on waste producers to ensure that their waste is handled and disposed of ‘appropriately’.

The EPA also establishes the principle that waste producers are responsible for what happens to their waste, from production right up to final disposal, or from ‘cradle to grave’. This means that even after you have passed on your waste to a disposal contractor, your are still legally responsible for that waste and must ensure that the contractor and disposal site handle it lawfully and carry the right licences to accept it. Crucially, you are also required to prove that you have fulfilled this duty by retaining records of all waste transfers for at least two years.

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© PHS Wastemanagement 2011