3. Waste pre-acceptance, acceptance and tracking
These are appropriate measures for waste pre-acceptance, acceptance and tracking at a regulated facility permitted to store, treat or transfer (or both) non-hazardous and inert waste.
1. You must implement waste pre-acceptance procedures so that you know enough about a waste (including its composition) before it arrives at your facility. You need to do this to assess and confirm that the waste is technically and legally suitable for your facility. If you accept the waste, you must keep records to justify your decision. Your pre-acceptance procedures must follow a risk-based approach, considering:
- the source and nature of the waste
- potential risks to process safety, occupational safety and the environment (for example from odour and other emissions)
- knowledge about the previous waste holder(s)
2. Some facilities receive waste on an ad hoc basis. In those instances pre-acceptance checks can still be carried out before the waste is accepted. For example, through the exchange of information at the weighbridge before acceptance on site.
3. When you receive a customer query, and before the waste arrives at your facility, you must get enough information from the waste producer to satisfy yourself that the waste has been properly assessed and classified as set out in WM3.
4. In the case of household and similar non-household waste (including skip waste) waste is pre-accepted by the terms and conditions of the contract in place (for example skip waste companies excluding fridges and freezers or hazardous wastes). There should also be a visual pre-acceptance check before removal from the producer’s premises.
5. For commercial and industrial waste you must get the following information in writing or electronic form:
- details of the waste producer including their organisation name, address and contact details
- a description of the waste
- the waste classification code (also referred to as a List of Waste (LoW) or European Waste Classification code
- the source of the waste (the producer’s business and the specific process that has created the waste)
- information on the nature and variability of the waste production process
- information about the history of the producer site if it may be relevant to the classification of the waste (for example soils and other construction and demolition arisings from a site contaminated by previous industrial uses)
- the waste’s physical form
- the waste’s composition (based on representative samples if necessary)
- a description of the waste’s odour and whether it is likely to be odorous
- an estimate of the quantity you expect to receive in each load and in a year
For mirror entry LoW codes (as defined in WM3), you must keep the evidence that you have made an assessment of the waste to assign the relevant mirror entry code.
6. You do not need to have sample information if the origin of the waste is reliably understood and it clearly shows that the waste is non-hazardous. However, a visual assessment alone will not be enough to assess whether mirror entry waste is hazardous or not.
7. If the waste is a mirror entry and has not been properly assessed, you must assume it is the hazardous entry as a precautionary measure. This is likely to mean that you cannot accept it at your facility. The pre-acceptance information should be verified by contacting or visiting the producer. Dealing with staff directly involved in waste production can help to fully characterise a waste.
8. Analysis of samples must be carried out by laboratories who are UKAS or MCERTs accredited for the prescribed test.
9. After a waste has been properly assessed and classified, you must technically assess the waste’s suitability for storage and treatment at your facility to make sure you can meet your permit conditions. You must make sure that the waste complies with your facility’s treatment capabilities and you are permitted to take that waste.
10. You must keep pre-acceptance records for at least 3 years, with records preferably held electronically, following receipt of the waste. If an enquiry does not lead to receipt of the waste, you do not need to keep records.
11. You must reassess the information required at pre-acceptance if the:
- waste changes
- process giving rise to the waste changes
- waste received does not to conform to the pre-acceptance information
In all cases you must reassess the information required at pre-acceptance on an annual basis.
12. When you agree that you will accept waste from a customer, you should decide and record what parameters you will check at the acceptance stage. The checks could be visual, physical, chemical and odour-based parameters. You must also record the criteria for non-conformance or rejection. The person checking the waste for acceptance can also decide on their own additional parameters.
1. You must implement waste acceptance procedures to check that the characteristics of the waste received matches the information provided to you during waste pre-acceptance. This is to confirm the waste is as expected and that you can accept it. If the waste does not conform to the pre-acceptance information, you may still be able to accept the waste, but you must confirm first that your permit allows it and that your facility can handle it appropriately. Otherwise, you must reject the waste.
2. Your procedures should follow a risk-based approach, considering:
- the source, nature and age of the waste
- potential risks to process safety, occupational safety and the environment (for example, from odour and other emissions)
- the potential for self-heating
- knowledge about the previous waste holder(s)
3. When deciding whether to accept waste, you must also check that the relevant storage areas and treatment processes in your facility have the physical capacity needed to handle the waste. You must not accept waste if this capacity is not available, or if you would breach your permit by doing so.
4. You must visually check wastes and verify them against pre-acceptance information and transfer documentation before you accept them on site. The extent of the initial visual check is based on the waste type and how it is packaged.
5. You must check and validate all transfer documentation and resolve discrepancies before you accept the waste. If you believe the incoming waste classification or description is incorrect or incomplete, then you must address this with the original waste producer or waste carrier (or both) during waste acceptance. You must record any non-conformance. If you have assessed the waste as acceptable for on-site storage or treatment, you must document this.
6. You must have clear criteria that you use to identify non-conforming wastes and wastes to be rejected. You must also have written procedures for recording, reporting and tracking non-conforming and rejected wastes. These must include:
- using quarantine storage
- notifying the relevant customer or waste producer
- recording a summary of your justification for accepting non-conforming waste in your electronic (or equivalent) system
You must take measures to prevent the recurrence of non-conforming and rejected wastes.
7. Where you reject waste which has been classified as hazardous, you must follow the procedure set out in our rejected loads guidance.
8. You must weigh each load of waste on arrival to confirm the quantities against the accompanying paperwork, unless alternative reliable and representative systems are available (for example, based upon density and volume). You must record the weight in your electronic or equivalent systems, so you can monitor available capacity at your facility. Records of incoming waste are not required for waste from householders deposited at Household Waste Recycling Facilities.
9. The person carrying out waste acceptance checks must be trained to effectively identify and manage any non-conformances in the loads received, so you comply with your Duty of Care for waste and your permit conditions.
10. Your procedures must make sure that your staff watch waste being unloaded, so you can quarantine the waste if necessary before it is mixed with other material.
11. Offloading and reception areas must have an impermeable surface with self-contained drainage, to prevent any potentially polluting liquid from escaping off site. This requirement does not apply if your facility’s permit allows only inert wastes and does not require impermeable surfacing with self-contained drainage.
1. Your facility must have a dedicated waste quarantine area or areas which you use to temporarily store waste being rejected, or non-conforming waste whilst it is being assessed. Quarantine areas must have impermeable surface with self-contained drainage if there is a risk of contaminated runoff from the quarantined waste.
2. Where there is a risk of fugitive emissions from quarantined waste you must store it in closed or covered containers or within a building.
3. Quarantine storage must be separate from all other storage and clearly marked as a quarantine area.
4. You should store the waste in quarantine in closed containers or cover it to prevent emissions if appropriate. For example, you should sheet quarantined contaminated soil or store it in a covered skip to prevent rainfall or wind from mobilising pollutants.
5. You must have written procedures for dealing with wastes held in quarantine, including a maximum storage volume. The maximum storage time must take account of the potential for odour generation, pest infestation and storage conditions. If the waste is infested or odorous you must remove it within 24 hours or sooner.
1. You should use an electronic or equivalent system to hold up-to-date information about the available capacity of different parts of your facility, for example reception, quarantine, treatment and storage areas. If you do not have an electronic system you still need to hold the equivalent level of information. You should use a pre-booking system to make sure that you have enough waste storage and process capacity for the incoming acceptable waste.
Your electronic or equivalent system must hold all the information generated during:
- pre-acceptance
- acceptance
- non-conformance or rejection
- storage
- repackaging
- treatment
- removal off site
This information must be readily accessible.
2. You must create records and update them to reflect deliveries, on-site treatment and despatches. Your tracking system will also operate as a waste inventory and stock control system, including both wastes and end-of-waste materials produced at your facility. It must include this information as a minimum:
- the date the waste arrived on site
- the original producer’s details (or unique identifier)
- a unique reference number
- waste pre-acceptance and acceptance information
- the package type and size
- the intended treatment or disposal route
- the nature and quantity of wastes held on site
- where the waste is physically located on site
- where the waste is in the designated recovery or disposal process
- identifying the staff who have taken any decisions about accepting or rejecting waste streams and who have decided on recovery or disposal options
- details that link waste to relevant transfer notes
- details of any non-conformances and rejections, including consignment notes for waste rejected because it is hazardous
3. The electronic (or equivalent) system must be able to report for each of LoW code:
- the total quantity of waste present on site at any one time
- a breakdown of the waste quantities you are storing pending on-site treatment or awaiting onward transfer
- where a batch of waste is located based on a site plan
- the quantity of waste on site compared with the limits in your management system and permit
- the length of time the waste has been on site compared with the limits in your management system and permit
4. The electronic (or equivalent) system must also be able to report the total quantity of end-of-waste materials on site at any one time, and where that material is located based on the site plan.
5. You must store back-up copies of records off site. These records must be readily accessible in an emergency.
6. You must keep acceptance records for a minimum of 2 years after you have treated the waste or removed it off site. You may have to keep records for longer if they are required for other purposes, for example hazardous waste consignment notes.