More stringent regulations covering the collection of waste packaging have been confirmed by the Environment Agency this week.
Following a somewhat fraught consultation phase, the EA has confirmed the amendments to the (WM2) regulations.
The consultation process was hastily conducted and without effective communication to processors or producers. This process has resulted in the regulations actually being put into force on 1st January 2014 with very little warning and the EA only confirming the changes now, nearly 8 weeks after they were implemented.
The new regulations reclassify what is considered waste packaging and more importantly what is considered hazardous, resulting in the majority of packaging now being deemed hazardous waste. With this in mind, many more producers of packaging waste will now be required to apply for a Hazardous Waste Registration.
For more information about the regulations please click here or if you think that you might be affected by these new changes and you would like to discuss your requirements further please contact WasteCare on 0113 2638643 or emailpackaging@wastecare.co.uk
All of WasteCare’s regional Service Centres are licensed to accept Hazardous Packaging. We also operate a dedicated packaging reconditioning facility in Leeds where the packaging we receive is washed for re-use or recycling in accordance with the current Waste Hierarchy.