Waste consignees in England will be receiving, treating, or disposing of hazardous waste at their premises. Doing so means you must keep proper records (e.g. consignment notes and related documentation).
This section explains the use of consignment notes when moving hazardous waste. Further information covers the process of consignee returns and the deadlines for sending them to the Environment Agency.
Any consignee who receives, treats, or disposes of hazardous waste loads in England must follow these steps:
Note: You will need to keep a 'register' (your records) at the site where you stored, treated, or disposed of the hazardous waste.
As a hazardous waste consignee, the records you must keep include copies of:
Codes from the Waste Framework Directive relate to permanent waste storage or 'tipped waste' (e.g. landfill) and includes:
A site inventory needs to be a site plan of your waste site showing the location of all stored hazardous waste. It must also include:
Note: You should use a grid or contour lines on the site plan to divide up the different areas of your waste site.
The following requirements apply to all waste operations other than tipped waste, such as:
The site inventory can either be a site plan or a table providing it shows the location of the waste at your site together. It should also include:
You would also need to keep records of any deliveries of hazardous waste accepted at your site, including:
TYPE OF WASTE SITE | RECORD TYPE | HOW LONG TO KEEP IT |
---|---|---|
Landfill (e.g. disposal codes D1 to D6 and D12) | All records | For as long as you hold an environmental permit |
Other sites with a permit | Consignment notes | Five (5) years |
Other sites with a permit | Site inventory and all other records | For as long as you hold an environmental permit |
Waste sites with an exemption | All records | Three (3) years |
Note: Giving up (or losing) your permit means you must send your records to the Environment Agency.
You will need to use consignment notes if you are moving hazardous waste. The Environment Agency produces consignment notes guidance if you need further information.
The first step is to download a consignment note form. You can download a continuation sheet if you need more space. Fill in all the sections that apply to your business operation.
Note: It is your responsibility to make sure the consignment note stays with the hazardous waste until reaching its final destination.
Environment Agency
Telephone: 03708 506 506
Monday to Friday: 8am to 5pm
Email: hwreturnsteam@environment-agency.gov.uk
Email: waleshazreturns@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk
Further details on call charges.
A consignee return is a detailed report relating to any hazardous waste that you receive, treat, or disposed of as a business or a 'consignee'.
The consignee that deals with your hazardous waste should give you consignee returns every quarter. If you do not get them you should stop using that particular waste business and contact the Environment Agency.
Note: All hazardous waste producers and holders may need to get consignee returns in writing to keep in your records.
Consignees need to send SEPARATE (not copies of the same document) returns to the Environment Agency and to the waste producer or holder every quarter.
Note: Read more on how to send consignee returns to the Environment Agency and waste producer if you receive or dispose of hazardous waste..
The fees are per consignment of waste and will depend on whether it formed part of a multiple collection or not (if it came from multiple locations). The current consignment fees are:
Consignees, Consignment Notes, and Consignee Returns Guide for United Kingdom