Checklist: What your business needs to do to be compliant with existing waste regulations:

What your business needs to do to be compliant with existing waste regulations:

• Keep waste to a minimum – prevention is always best, so remember eliminating waste where possible, and reuse and repair if you can. Make use of re-usable products where possible (where medically safe to do so) as opposed to using single-use products.

• Sort and store waste safely and securely – sort different types of waste to avoid contamination, using clearly labelled containers with covers to stop waste blowing away and getting wet. Staff members and patients should also be made aware of the need to separate waste. An example of this is ensuring that packaging from pharmaceutical drugs, which comes in four layers is separated for collection to ensure value for recycling.

• Complete a waste transfer note for each load of waste that leaves your workplace, or a document with the same information, such as an invoice. You’ll need to keep this for two years.

• Use a registered waste carrier – visit the Public Register of Waste Carriers, Brokers and Dealers

  to check if a provider is registered.

• Make sure it’s disposed of legally – if the company you use disposes of your waste illegally, such as ‘fly tipping’, you could be held responsible. There should be clarification and guidance for employees/yourself to know where/how to dispose of waste.

• Become aware of your waste providers

  – it is important to know who your waste providers are and how to contact them. Whether in your own capacity or through a representative in your organisation.

• Present waste in accordance with request from waste service provider: whilst ensuring it is compliant with the regulations for the presentation of waste.

• Separately collect your food waste if you produce more than 5kg of food waste per week and make arrangements with a waste collector to have it collected for recycling.