You must take all reasonable steps to identify and assess alternatives to waste disposal for priority waste. This includes reportable priority waste.
For this duty, taking reasonable steps includes:
- considering guidelines about alternatives to waste disposal
- considering relevant technology used in resource recovery that is currently available
- consulting relevant expertise on alternatives to waste disposal for that type of priority waste, such as environmental engineers or consultants.
Industrial waste duties also apply if you are managing priority waste. To learn about priority waste, visit Understand your waste obligations and duties.
Duty to investigate alternatives to waste disposal, section 140, Environment Protection Act 2017(opens in a new window).
Who it applies to
A business or person who manages or controls priority waste.
You manage or control priority waste if you:
- produce or generate it
- collect, consign, transfer or transport it
- receive, handle or store it
- undertake resource recovery or process it
- dispose of it.
What you must do
You must take all reasonable steps to identify and assess alternatives to waste disposal, including:
- reusing and recycling priority waste
- avoiding producing or generating similar priority waste in the future.
To learn more, visit Find alternatives to landfill.
Example
Ahmed is a mechanic. He uses various oils, coolants, paints and solvents as part of his work. The empty containers have residue from these materials in them.
Ahmed checks the classification of these waste containers. He finds they are pre-classified as reportable priority waste under the Environment Protection Regulations 2021(opens in a new window). They are code N100 – Rigid steel or plastic containers with an original volume less than 200 litres contaminated with reportable priority waste (transport).
Ahmed searches for alternative ways to dispose of the waste containers rather than landfill.
He investigates how to clean the containers himself and what is involved in this process.
He finds there are container washing businesses who can:
- remove the residues from the containers
- send the cleaned containers to recyclers.
He looks at industry practice to see how to generate fewer waste containers.
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