Hazardous Waste

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Hazardous Waste

Hazardous Waste Regulations

In addition to the UK Waste Battery Regulations, the Hazardous Waste Regulations in England and Wales and the Special Waste Regulations in Scotland and Northern Ireland are the most important pieces of legislation which govern waste batteries.

The Hazardous Waste Regulations came into force in July 2005 and replaced the Special Waste Regulations in England and Wales.

It is important that you understand that batteries are effectively classed as hazardous waste due to the fact that they contain corrosive materials such as sulphuric acid or potassium hydroxide, as well as heavy metals such as cadmium and lead. Some can even be explosive under certain conditions.

The Hazardous Waste Regulations contain strict rules for the storage, transport and disposal of waste batteries, and anyone failing to comply with these regulations could be committing an offence and be prosecuted, with penalties of unlimited fines and / or up to 2 years imprisonment.

The following requirements apply to any producer of waste batteries:

  • You must ensure that The site at which the waste batteries were generated is registered with the Environment Agency as a Hazardous Waste Producer.
  • As a producer of hazardous waste you need to “consign” each load of material, to do this, a consignment note must accompany each movement of waste, and a fee must be paid to the Environment Agency. Details of each consignment note must be notified to the Environment Agency every quarter, and a fee for certain movements paid.
  • Whilst your waste partner/contractor will typically manage this process for you, and simply require you to sign the documentation upon collection, it remains your responsibility to make sure the waste is described correctly and is taken to a permitted site.
  • The carrier who removes the waste/ waste batteries from your premises must be registered with the EA as a carrier of controlled waste.
  • Each time waste batteries are taken from your premises, you must sign a copy of the Consignment Note that applies to that transaction.
  • Under the requirements covering Duty of Care, you must ensure your waste batteries are destined to be disposed of safely and in accordance with the legislation.

In Scotland and Northern Ireland, the process differs slightly and may include the need to give no fewer than three days pre-notification of the movement, and copies of the consignment note must accompany the load.

PBR Are Here To Help

We’re the first to admit that the legislation and regulations can come across as complex, however what it really means is that it’s important that you choose your waste partner carefully.

Here at PBR, we are committed to being the UK’s only specialist portable battery recycler, with an aim to transform the way portable batteries are collected and recycled across the UK, whilst providing the most competitive and compliant collection service.

We’re here to help along every step of the way, and that means we’ll work with you to ensure that all batteries are correctly classified at all times, knowing that this is one of the most common areas of confusion.

Book A Collection

From collection through to storage, recycling and disposal, when you use PBR, it’s quick and easy to dispose of your waste batteries, giving you peace of mind than you’re fully compliant in the process.