How to dispose of hazardous waste
A plain guide to disposing of hazardous waste in the UK: the five steps that apply to every type, plus a dedicated guide for each waste stream as we add them.
Hazardous waste cannot go in a normal skip, a bin, or down the drain. There is a legal way to get rid of it, and the steps are the same shape whatever the waste, oil, asbestos, batteries, chemicals or clinical waste. This is the overview. Each waste type also has its own guide, linked further down.
First, is your waste hazardous?
Hazardous waste is waste that can harm people or the environment, paints, oils, asbestos, batteries, solvents and many chemicals. If you are not sure, our guide on what counts as hazardous waste runs through the common types. If your waste is not hazardous, it travels on a transfer note instead, and most of the steps below do not apply.
The five steps to dispose of hazardous waste
Whatever the waste, the legal route is the same five steps:
- Classify it and find the EWC code. Every hazardous waste has a six-digit code with a star. Our guide on EWC codes shows how to find the right one.
- Store it safely and separately. Keep it sealed, labelled and away from drains until collection, and do not mix different wastes together.
- Use a registered carrier. The firm that moves it must be a registered upper tier waste carrier. Check the register before you let anyone take it.
- Send a consignment note with every load. A hazardous waste consignment note travels with the waste from your site to the place that takes it.
- Keep the records. Hold on to your copy of every note for at least three years, in case the Environment Agency asks.
Find the guide for your waste type
The five steps are the same for everyone, but each waste type has its own EWC codes, its own handling rules, and its own kind of site that can take it.
We have guides for waste oil, asbestos, clinical waste, batteries and solvents.
The consignment note is the step people get wrong
Most of the trouble comes at step four. The waste gets moved, but the consignment note is missing, wrong, or never kept. That is what gets carriers and producers fined. Our guide on how to fill out a consignment note walks through every box, so the note is right the first time.
Get the five steps right and hazardous waste disposal is routine. Miss one, and it is the kind of mistake that costs thousands.