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Waste strategy and legislation
- EU Waste Framework Directive
This Directive provides the overarching legislative framework for the collection, transport, recovery and disposal of waste, and includes a common definition of waste (PDF 80 KB). The Directive requires all Member States to take the necessary measures to ensure that waste is recovered or disposed of without endangering human health or causing harm to the environment and includes permitting, registration and inspection requirements. The Directive also requires Member States to take appropriate measures to encourage firstly, the prevention or reduction of waste production and its harmfulness and secondly the recovery of waste by means of recycling, re-use or reclamation or any other process with a view to extracting secondary raw materials, or the use of waste as a source of energy. The Directive's overarching requirements are supplemented by other Directives for specific waste streams. - Electrical
and electronic equipment (including WEEE and ROHS Directives)
This Directive aims to prevent waste from electronic and electrical equipment and promote collection, re-use and recycling of WEEE. It also aims to improve the environmental performance of all operators involved in the life cycle of WEEE. - Waste Oil Directive
This Directive aims to promote the safe collection and disposal of waste oils, and was significantly amended in 1987 - Hazardous
Waste
This Directive seeks to define hazardous waste and provides additional controls on its tracking, movement and management - Packaging,
Packaging Waste and the Packaging Waste Regulations
This Directive aims to harmonise national measures concerning the management of packaging and packaging waste to provide a high level of environmental protection and to ensure the functioning of the internal market. - Landfill
This Directive aims to prevent or reduce as far as possible negative effects on the environment from the landfilling of waste, by introducing stringent technical requirements for waste and landfills and setting targets for the reduction of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill. - End-of-life vehicles
(ELVs)
This Directive aims to prevent waste from end-of-life vehicles and promote the collection, re-use and recycling of their components to protect the environment. - Batteries
Directive
This Directive sets targets for the collection of portable and nickel-cadmium batteries and sets recycling targets for portable, automotive and industrial batteries. - Waste Incineration Legislation (Link to NetRegs)
- Environmental Protection Act 1990
- Environment Act 1995
- Information on the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003
- The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997
- The Finance Act and Landfill Tax Regulations 1996
- Waste Minimisation Act 1998
Page last modified: 23 July 2009
Page published: 5 February 2003