How is your farm dealing with its hazardous waste? Is it time to call in the experts?

by | May 7, 2018 | Chemical recycling and disposal

When we hear the words ‘hazardous waste’, we don’t often associate them with farms.

However, several substances used on farms – or produced by them – could be categorised as hazardous.

Tightened regulations mean that farms need waste handlers to help them dispose of several categories of waste such as plastics and oils.

In fact, an estimated 135,500 tonnes of agricultural plastic waste is produced annually in the UK.

 

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Farms produce non-natural or hazardous waste, including:

  • Used syringes and needles for animal treatment, and unused medications
  • Plastics, bags, and sheets
  • Asbestos from farm buildings
  • Tyres
  • Batteries
  • Old farm machinery
  • Oils
  • Discarded pesticide cans

They also produce natural waste including slurry and manure. One survey found that slurry and manure was 93% of all agricultural waste, 43 million tonnes in one year.

The banning of unlicensed farm tips and burning waste in the open changed the way farmers dealt with hazardous waste forever.

Instead, it must now be dealt with under these pieces of legislation.

Hazardous waste legislation in the UK

  • Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005 in England and Wales
  • Special Waste Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2004 in Scotland
  • Hazardous Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 in Northern Ireland

That means they must either send or take their waste to licensed sites, register an exemption with the appropriate regulatory body to recycle waste on the farm, or apply to a regulatory body for a licence to continue waste disposal on the farm.

 

So, what is hazardous waste?

It’s waste which is harmful to the environment or humans and that may be chemicals, batteries, asbestos, solvents, oils, or pesticides.

Every business – including farms – has a legal duty of care to ensure the hazardous waste it produces or deals with does not cause harm to people or the environment.

Hazardous waste must be categorised correctly and it must not be mixed with non-hazardous waste. Here is the official government guide on different types of hazardous waste.

Anyone transporting it must have the correct licence and the waste classification code which details the name of the substances, where it was produced, a report of its chemical analysis, a description of how the waste was produced, and any special problems or knowledge about it.

Why choose an experienced carrier?

Carriers such as Inspire Waste have experience of dealing with the complex rules surrounding the collections of hazardous waste. It’s easy to get on the wrong side of the law by failing to comply with regulations.

Inspire Waste ensures its clients have the correct certifications, comply with the law, and contractors used are audited properly.

We understand how busy farmers are raising stock and producing crops. Our services including tankers, skips, and dealing with waste certification and transport, help them concentrate on their core business.

 

Need some advice on farm waste disposal? Call our friendly team on 0800 002 9282
about our services or use the button below to get a quote.

Inspire Waste Management offers waste services anywhere in the UK

Our experienced, expert staff will help you navigate the complex rules for dealing with hazardous waste, electronic and electrical waste, and confidential waste.

We’ll help you get the best price for bulk recycling, and get the right skips, tankers, compactors, or balers for your business.

We’ll also help you make the most of your budget with our waste consultancy and project planning and transparent, flat rate quotes.

So, when it comes to your waste, it pays to get Inspire-d!

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