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Companies which produce or recycle HDPE waste plastic are bombarded with legislation, which dictates how they can dispose of and recycle HDPE, and the penalties for non-compliance are tough. If your company needs to dispose of or recycle HDPE as a waste product, then the following information will help you to avoid prosecution. You can get more detailed information about the UK legislation from the web site details below but the basic premise is that you are responsible for the waste you create, even after it has been handed over to someone else to sort out the recycling or disposal.' The legislation also imposes a documented paper system - a paper trail of Duty Of Care Notices- which is how you can demonstrate the waste was handled properly even after it left your premises and was handed over to a waste management, recycling or disposal company. Because of the trail of responsibility, a waste producer or recycler must be certain that the company they hand their waste over to is also complying with the law. But how can you be certain that when you select the waste management company to trust, that they are going to keep you legal and safe? And remember, size isn't everything in this business. Your 8 Step Waste Management Company Selection Checklist 1. Do they work closely with their clients and understand their needs? It's hard work finding a waste management company which is legal, and you also want them to understand your problems and work with you over the longer term to smooth the process of your waste management. 2. Can you visit their premises? You must be 100% confident about what is happening to your waste. A waste broker passes it onto another company, whilst a waste processor will be transforming your waste into an end product which a manufacturer will buy. A good example is plastic shred being remoulded into garden furniture. Check that your waste management company is processing on site and visit to see how they operate. 3. Do they have the necessary licenses and legal credentials? Care is needed here because it's not just about having a single license from the UK Environment Agency. The legislation largely works on a process of exemptions which allow waste management companies to handle particular types of waste. You must ensure the company you pick has an exemption for each waste stream they will be taking from you. 4. You must get a legal Duty Of Care Notice, and this is completed by the company you hand your waste over to. But what should be included on the document? You must make sure it is completed correctly because you may be expected to show it to enforcement officials up to two years after the event. A legal Duty of Care document must include precise details about the type and quantity of material; information about the producer and the recycler or disposer. The company you choose must be able to complete these documents correctly, or it's you which ends up in the hot water. 5. Does your waste management company keep up with the ever evolving legislation and industry developments? Ask them how they monitor for legal and industry updates and how they use this information to support their customers. Are they regularly getting updates themselves and are they in contact with the Environment Agency? But it goes beyond keeping you legal because they should be helping you out by keeping you abreast of developments and telling you what needs to be done. They should be your experts. 6. Do they work with any recognised organisations? You're looking for industry partners such as WRAP, SEEDA and REMADE. These are government associations and will only work with companies that are legally sound and reliable. You could also check to see if they work with any local authorities which are usually picky about the credentials of their contractors. 7. Look out for published service standards, policies and procedures. They should be willing to show you these documents without fuss or delay. Failure to do what they say can mean an expensive storage problem for you and wasted time whilst your staff are hanging around waiting for the waste to be checked in. As a waste producer, if you pick the right waste management company to support you and do the research and development for you, you can relax and and get on with running your own business. 8. Do they have an export certificate? Even if you don't want to export anything, this is a useful piece of documentation. The procedures required by Customs and Excise are rigorous and so if your waste management company has passed legal muster with them, the chances are very high that they can keep you safe and legal. The key is to streamline the process of assessing the complex legislative framework which surrounds disposing of your waste material, and if you need to dispose of or recycle HDPE plastic, then you face even more challenges. This advice aims to help you through the initial process of selecting which waste management company you want to work with. The idea is to be legally secure and overall spend less time and money dealing with what is, after all, only the rubbish left over when the main business is finished.
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