Protecting the Environment – Why Waste Management is Necessary
Updated: Jan 4
Waste Management is both an environment and health and safety concern. The law outlines that you must dispose of your waste correctly, by identifying and classifying it before it is sent for recycling or disposal. This is enforced by the Environment Agency, as well as Local Authorities. You have a duty of care to ensure that waste handled or produced by your business causes no harm or damage.
Proper waste management ensures that any damage to humans or the environment is minimized as much as possible.
Moreover, by having a good standard of housekeeping in your business, injuries caused by materials, or waste, blocking routes is mitigated.
Everyday Waste Management Tips
Ensure that flammable waste is cleared away regularly to reduce fire risks.
Make sure that walkways are clear from debris, to help avoid unnecessary trips and slips.
Safely store waste materials and hazardous waste in accordance with government guidelines (depending on classification), before disposal.
When handing waste over to your disposal contractor, the contractor must fill out a waste transfer, or consignment note. This must include the waste classification code; whether it is hazardous or POPs waste; where it was produced; the name of the substances; the process that produced the waste; a chemical and physical analysis of the waste and its compounds and any special concerns related to the waste.
Thankfully, Base Solutions are able to help with training and guidelines for businesses to carry out waste management in accordance with the law. With courses in Asbestos Awareness, COSHH and Workplace Health and Safety; as well as RAMS and other key document templates, we can aid your business in both staying on the right side of the law, and protecting the environment.
As waste disposal is an important factor for any business, we are pleased to offer a template document for a Waste Disposal Register free of charge. This template is a great way of keeping track of where and how your business’ waste is disposed; so that you have a record and peace of mind that your waste is not damaging the environment.
Sources: HSE website, Gov website classifying waste, Gov website hazardous waste