For small business owners managing waste being produced is part of doing the business. It is important from responsible environmental policy perspective as well as from regulatory viewpoint. Having an effective waste management policy should not only be an essential component of how the company performs its tasks and projects, but also serve as a legal safeguard. Legislation is very tight regarding how companies dispose of their waste, and the penalties for failing to dispose of waste appropriately can be heavy. In this post we aim to provide general guidelines for effective waste management with small businesses in mind, with special focus on those that generate clinical detritus.
Your responsibilities with waste
Rubbish, scrap, leftovers, and off-cuts – whatever it’s called, it all comes under the definition of ‘waste’. Once items and materials have no further use to the company it is then their legal obligation – their duty of care – to ensure that it is appropriately disposed of. This includes clinical, commercial, construction, demolition and industrial waste.
It is your responsibility to ensure that this waste is stored appropriately until being handed over to a licensed waste disposal company. Liability is then placed into the hands of this company, but you are obliged to inform the authorities if you have cause to be believed that they are mismanaging your waste. Businesses in Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland should check their local authorities for any sub-clauses to these rules.
Effectively managing duty of care
The term is ambiguous because it needs to cover a vast range of potential issues with waste removal. As an operator, you will be expected to sort, securely store, adhere to transportation rules and have the appropriate permits for anything deemed hazardous. Not only this but you are obliged to make sure that the waste removal agency has up to date permits, and it’s advisable to keep copies of these.
When is waste really waste?
When there is no further use for it. This means that the materials have no further potential use, and then it is time to decide where the waste needs to go.
Ideally the materially will be recyclable in which case they need to be taken to a recovery plant. If not then they may be suitable for incineration or other power generation systems. Failing this it’s off to the landfill.
Licenses
It’s essential to register and gain the appropriate licenses, and don’t forget that the licenses you may need can change between projects and materials being used. Local environmental and licensing departments through the local authorities will be able to help with getting these in order. You might also require an environmental permit for storing and transporting hazardous waste.
Sorting, storing and transporting waste
You are responsible for sorting waste into its appropriate categories depending on how possible it is to be reused or how hazardous it may be. For example plastics, masonry and glass need to be separated and hazardous wastes labelled. Oils also need to be kept apart. Remember to keep gypsum and plasterboard separate from other materials as these can only be handled by specific depots.
For general, non-hazardous waste you are responsible for keeping it labelled, separated and secure. Containers need to be fit for purpose, not allow any materials to fall out and, ideally, they should be covered to prevent wind blowing fragments away.
Hazardous waste will require a risk assessment and regular checks of which a paper copy must be kept. This is not just to ensure the waste is still secure, but also to check that the containers haven’t become damaged.
You must employ a licensed waste removal company to take away the waste which will require all of your paperwork to be in order for this to occur.
Medical waste
It can seem like a bit of a minefield given how complex the regulations are for removing medical waste due to the potential presence of bodily fluids, sharps, chemicals and so on. There are various rules as to which storage bins these wastes must be kept before being collected, for example:
- Pharmaceutical Waste – Out of date medicines and drugs need to be separated from other waste.
- Sharps – These need to be labelled, impervious to sharp blades and needles and conform to British safety standards.
- Offensive Waste – Must be adequately removed for hygiene reasons, for example nappies fall into this category.
- Spills & Sharps Protection Kits – These must be used by appropriate staff when dealing with such waste.
Dental waste may contain gypsum that is now prevented from going into landfill sites. You will need a licensed waste removal company with access to facilities that can process gypsum to handle the recycling of this material.
