The Environment Agency have congratulated the waste management sector on continuing to improve compliance standards with a significant reduction in incidents in 2015.

In the next couple of weeks the EA will be publishing data on the number of category 1 and 2 incidents during 2015 confirming that in the hazardous waste transfer and treatment sector there were zero (Cat 1 and 2) incidents (down from 6 in 2014).

Pre-acceptance and acceptance audit campaign

This year the EA will be focussing on pre-acceptance and acceptance of waste at sites within the hazardous waste sector, particularly those that treat and transfer a range of hazardous wastes. Officers are now in the process of contacting sites to arrange these audits.

BReF Update

An update from the Bureau has now been received. Of the 3,413 comments received by the Bureau, they have to date processed 48% and started work on their background paper which will support discussions at the final Technical Working Group meeting. The Bureau anticipates that this meeting will be held first quarter of 2017.

In view of the German proposal for a data workshop, supported by the UK and others, the Bureau are proposing a series of webinars to consolidate and share understanding of available data. This is in addition to normal process and may delay the review timetable. The purpose of the webinars is not to address the BAT-AELs or how they are derived.  This will be set out in the background paper and the Final TWG Meeting.  The Bureau will make available prior to the webinars a set of data which incorporates the information received in the comments to D1 – this will be for comment by the TWGs and where appropriate, correction. A detailed agenda and procedure to join will follow, but a tentative webinar date for Physico-chemical treatment of waste is September 22^nd.

Fire Prevention Plans and the Hazardous Waste Transfer and Treatment Sector

The fire prevention plan guidance is currently being updated and is likely to be published towards the end of July. To clarify the approach for the hazardous waste transfer and treatment sector, a separate FPP will not be required if the operations on site are only for hazardous waste (excluding WEEE). In such circumstances sites are expected to be operating to the standards set out in the Sector Guidance Note 5.06.