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Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005

On 16th July 2005 new Hazardous Waste Regulations came into force in England and Wales. The Regulations require organisations which produce any form of hazardous waste to register with the Environment Agency. Hazardous waste definitions include sharps, cytotoxic and cytostatic medicines and other clinical waste. However, organisations which produce less that 200kg of hazardous waste per year are exempt and are not required to register.

In Scotland, the Special Waste Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2004 have aligned the definition of ‘Special Waste’ with that of ‘Hazardous Waste’ so that the two terms now mean the same. Producers of ‘Special Waste’ in Scotland do not have to register with the Environment Agency, even if waste is exported to England or Wales.

Regulations applicable to Northern Ireland are expected to be published, although it is not anticipated that registering with the Environment Agency will be a requirement.

Hazard waste includes all clinical waste, and other items which contains hazardous materials such as fluorescent tubes.

Practice action

The Practice should assess the amount of hazardous waste it produces each year. If this falls below 200kg then no action is necessary. If it is above 200kg, then the Practice must register (it is an offence not to do so). Practices can register on the Environment Agency's website - go there. The cost to register online is £18.

As a guide, 200kg is roughly equivalent to 200 filled 4 litre sharps bins.

There is a draft Waste Management/Disposal Protocol in the Practice Operation & Development index of the Members Library. If you are not a Member, click here for information about the benefits of membership and how to subscribe.

Further information

DEFRA guidance

Environment Agency guidance

Waste legislation overview page

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