1. 7517 Principles of
Sustainable
Resource
Management
Unit 208 Understand the Duty of
Care within the Waste and
Recycling Industry

2. Duty of Care
 From the
person who produces it to the
person who finally disposes of or recovers it
 Duty of Care
is one of the main ways to
combat fly-tipping

3. Duty of Care Regulations
 Waste poses a threat to the
environment and to
human health if it is not managed properly.
 Self regulating system based on good business
practice.
 It places a duty on anyone who has a responsibility
for controlled waste to ensure that it is managed
properly.
 Code is to provide practical guidance for waste
holders and brokers subject to the duty of care.

4. Duty of Care Regulations
 Section 34 of the
Environmental Protection Act 1990
 Imposes on persons concerned with controlled waste
 The duty applies to any person who:





produces
imports
Carries or keeps
treats or disposes of controlled waste
Broker who has control of such waste (or waste holder)

5. Controlled waste
 Waste from households, commerce or industry
 ‘Directive Waste’
 Householders are exempt from the
for their own household waste
Duty of Care

6. Problems with Waste
 Safe or hazardous?
 All waste can be hazardous
 All hazardous waste can be treated safely
 Not only contents that cause problems
 What will happen to it
 Description of the waste to manage it properly

7. Problems in handling or Treatment
 Special containers
 Contact with other
materials
 Can it be crushed or transferred
 Can it be incinerated
 May it change physical state
 Can it be safely disposed of at
landfill?

8. Responsibilities
 Duty on stakeholders to disposal
 Labelled
 Documented if being transferred

10. Transfer note
 Completed and signed by
parties involved
 Quantity of waste
 How packed
 Description of waste
 EU Waste catalogue code
 Kept for 2 years

11. Description of Waste
 Type of premises
or business from which the waste
comes
 Name of the substance or substances
 Process that produced the waste
 Chemical and physical analysis
 ‘Household’, ‘Domestic’ or ‘Mixed’ may not be
sufficient
 Must provide sufficient information to the waste
holder to avoid mismanagement

12. EU Waste Catalogue Code
 Individual waste types assigned a six-digit code
that comprises two digits for the chapter, two for
the subchapter and two specific to the waste type
 Municipal waste codes are prefixed with ‘20’
 Hazardous wastes are signified by entries where
the EWC code is marked by an asterisk or an ‘A’
 Hazardous waste consignment note would be
completed for these rather than a transfer note

13. Task
 Research roles and
responsibilities of
individuals in the waste
management chain
regarding the ‘Duty of
Care’ code of practice
 Waste Producers
 Waste carrier/transport
 Waste Disposers
 Waste Brokers

14. Waste Producers
 Waste producers are solely responsible for the
care of
their waste while they hold it
 Waste producers are normally best placed to know
what their waste is and to choose the disposal,
treatment or recovery method
 Using a registered or exempt carrier does not
necessarily let a producer out of all responsibility for
checking the later stages of the disposal of his waste
 The producer shares the blame for illegal treatment of
his waste if he ignores evidence of mistreatment

15. Waste Importers
 Waste importers or exporters must act according
to the requirements of the EC Waste Shipments
Regulation
 The EC Regulation requires pre-notification of
and consent to movements of waste, with the
details of each shipment set out on a
consignment note

16. Waste Carriers/Transporters
 Waste carrier is responsible for the
adequacy of
packaging while waste is under his control
 He should not rely totally on how it is packed or
handed over by the previous holder
 When accepting any waste a carrier should make
at least a quick visual inspection to see that it
appears to match the description

17. Waste Disposers
 Disposed of safely, does
not cause harm to
human health or pollution of the environment
and is authorised to receive it.
 Ensure that the transferee is authorised
 Prevent the escape of waste, to contain it

18. Waste Brokers



Controls what happens to the waste, is taking
responsibility for the legality of the arrangement during
the transfer
Responsible for ensuring that a correct and adequate
description is transferred, that the waste is within the
scope of any waste licence or exemption, that it is carried
only by a registered or exempt carrier and that
documentation is properly completed
Undertake the same level of checks after transfer, and
the same action on any cause for suspicion, as a waste
holder

19. Assignment
 1.
 2.
Describe the requirements of the ‘Duty of
Care’ regulations
Explain what the ‘Duty of Care’ regulations
mean for your organisation regarding:
 Waste transfer
notes
 Hazardous waste consignment notes
 3.
Explain the implications and penalties for
breach of ‘Duty of Care’ regulations.