"Working for our members to be the voice of government on waste minimization and recycling issues"
Updated: June 2010
EU WASTE FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE 2008 (2008/98/EC)
Revisions to the EU Waste Framework Directive have recently been consulted on by DEFRA with a second consultation expected in late 2010.
This Directive is a revision of an earlier Directive (2006/12/EC) and it clarifies key concepts, including new measures in relation to waste prevention, the concept of whole-life-cycle of products and a new focus on reducing the environmental impacts of waste generation and management.
The big issues associated with this Directive, which must be transposed into UK law by December 2010 and include thus far:-
• the new requirement for the production of Waste Prevention Programmes
• the maximum of six yearly reviews of Waste Management Plans
• the need for public participation in the production of these plans and programmes
• whole-life-cycle considerations
• new definitions for By-products and End-of-waste status
• new definition of bio-waste
• requirement for bio-waste to be collected separately
• requirement for separate collections for paper, metal, plastics, glass
• increased responsibility for the producers of waste
• extended producer responsibility provisions, acceptance of returned waste
• new requirements for self-sufficiency and proximity
• requirement for installations for the recovery of mixed municipal waste
• new clarity about oils and hazardous waste
• new preparing for reuse and recycling targets for household waste of 50% by 2020
• extended role of the competent authority
• enhanced need for reporting to the Commission and to the Parliament
�greater clarity regarding shipments of waste
England & Wales, Scotland
The ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT 1990 implements the European Union Waste Framework Directive in England and Wales and Scotland. The Act was intended to strengthen pollution controls and support enforcement with heavier penalties. Before the Act there had been separate environmental regulation of air, water and land pollution and the Act brought in an integrated scheme that would seek the "best practicable environmental option". There was previously no uniform system of licensing or public right of access to information.
This Act requires waste to be disposed of without endangering human health; without processes or methods that could harm the environment; without risk to water, air, soil, plants or animals; without causing nuisance through soil or odour; without adversely affecting the countryside or places of special interest. This Act also sets out the statutory duties of waste collection and disposal authorities to provide waste collection and disposal services. Regulations made pursuant to this act (Controlled Waste Regulations 1992) set out in detail from what premises an authority has an obligation to collect waste and types of waste for which a change could be levied.
Schedule 2 of the Controlled Waste Regulations are currently under review by DEFRA
- Duty of Care and waste carriers Legislation
Legislation was introduced in within the Environmental Protection Act 1990 that imposed a ‘duty of care’ on waste producers to ensure that their waste is kept safe and is properly disposed of. Allied to this was legislation that required persons who are carrying waste in the course of their business to be registered with the Environment Agency.
Since this date changes have been made to this legislation, mainly to tighten up loopholes. For example the duty of care now applies to householders as well as businesses. The Government has recently consulted on changes to legislation that would require any business that carries its own waste to be registered with the Environment Agency. Currently the majority of businesses that carry waste that they have produced themselves are exempt from registration.
Scotland
The Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2005 made several miscellaneous changes to waste management legislation by amending the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Controlled Waste (Registration of carriers and seizure of vehicles) Regulations 1991, the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992, the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994, and the Groundwater Regulations 1998 with regard to:
• Indiscriminate disposal of controlled waste from domestic properties
• Duty of Care relating to domestic properties
• Categorisation of mining, quarry and agricultural waste
• Registration of Carriers of Controlled Waste
• Waste Management Licensing
Northern Ireland
The Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997, was introduced in Northern Ireland as a result of the Waste Framework Directive (75/442/EC) (as amended by 91/156/EEC and 91/692/EEC), The Hazardous Waste Directive (91/689/EC) and The Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC) which set legal standards and responsibilities for the deposit, treatment, keeping or disposal of waste. The Order replaced the Pollution Control and Local Government (Northern Ireland) Order 1978.
The Controlled Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002, and subsequent amendments, expands Article 2(2) of the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 (definition of controlled wastes) and provides descriptions of wastes to be treated as household, household but where a charge may be levied for collection, industrial and commercial.
The Controlled Waste (Duty of Care) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002, and amendments, create a legal responsibility or “duty of care” for waste requiring all producers, carriers, and managers of waste to provide a clear audit trail when moving waste. This is via the use of Waste Transfer Notes (Waste Consignment Notes in the case of hazardous wastes).
The Controlled Waste (Registration of Carriers and Seizure of Vehicles) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999, implements the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 requirement for carriers of controlled waste to be registered; a full register of carriers is maintained by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, and is accessible to members of the public. The Regulations also provide for the seizure and disposal of vehicles used for illegal waste disposal.
The Waste (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 makes miscellaneous amendments to the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997, including, for example, the introduction of fixed penalty notices for misuse of waste receptacles, and the requirement for site waste management plans for prescribed construction and demolition works.
The Directive's overall aim is "to prevent or reduce as far as possible negative effects on the environment, in particular the pollution of surface water, groundwater, soil and air, and on the global environment, including the greenhouse effect, as well as any resulting risk to human health, from the landfilling of waste, during the whole life-cycle of the landfill"
England and Wales
Adopted in 1999, the EU Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC was transposed into English law as the Landfill (England & Wales) Regulations 2002. It requires a reduction in biodegradable waste sent to landfill. Of the 1995 level, it sets 75% landfilling by 2010, 50% by 2013 and 35% by 2020. These relate to Biodegradable MUNICIPAL waste, the scope of which currently includes all waste collected by or on behalf of a Local Authority.
It also bans various materials from landfilling, including liquid waste, explosive and flammable waste. Hospital and clinical waste and tyres, whether whole or shredded. It also introduced new categories of inert, non hazardous and hazardous landfill sites.
The implementation of the Landfill Directive's requirements for diversion of BMW required primary legislation and have been implemented through the Waste and Emissions Trading (WET) Act 2003 via:
• The setting of a maximum amount of BMW to landfill from each country in the UK
• The allocation on landfill allowances, which may be tradable, to waste disposal authorities
• The preparation, in each country of the UK, of a strategy for reducing the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfills
• Details of the landfill allowances scheme being established in subordinate legislation by the appropriate authority in each country of the UK
This Act introduced the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) that sets out restrictions for disposal by each local authority in England and Wales. The Act permits each waste disposal authority (WDA) to sell its yearly quota of landfill allowances to other WDAs, creates financial incentives for good performance and encourages WDAs to maximise alternatives to landfill. The permits are to be traded, the penalty for breaching the target without purchasing LATS from other authorities was set at £150 per tonne, and the Secretary of State sets each WDAs landfill
disposal allowance annually, to reflect nationally the downward trend of the EU Landfill
Directive, which deals with bio-degradable municipal waste. The targets are 50% of 1995 levels by 2009, and 35% by 2016.
The LATS has recently been the subject of discussion during a DEFRA consultation on EU Waste Targets. It may be subject to revision during the forthcoming years.
WASTE MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS 2006
The Waste Management (England and Wales) Regulations 2006 are better known as the Agricultural Waste Regulations as they apply to the disposal of agricultural waste.
Agricultural waste was excluded from the UK’s waste management controls by section 75(7)(c) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The European Court of Justice has concluded that this exclusion contravenes European legislation - the Waste Framework Directive and the Landfill Directive. The UK Government accepts that the exclusion contravenes the Directives and has given a commitment to the European Commission to apply the controls necessary under the Directives to agricultural waste.
From 2006 these regulations covered spent pesticide containers, agricultural plastics such as silage wrap, bags and sheets, packaging waste, tyres, batteries, clinical waste, machinery and oil. This waste needs to be taken off-farm for disposal at licensed sites and can only be dealt with on-farm, either for recycling or for disposal with an exemption or licence from the Environment Agency.
Scotland
In Scotland, the Landfill (Scotland) Regulations 2003 implement most requirements of the Landfill Directive (99/31/EC).
The Landfill (Scheme Year and Maximum Landfill Amount) Regulations 2004 and Landfill Allowance Regulations (Scotland) 2005 implement Section 4 of the WET Act 2003 making an allocation of allowances of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) to landfill to local authorities for each scheme year. Allowances may potentially be banked, borrowed or transferred subject to approval by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA). The Landfill allowances Trading Scheme is currently suspended in Scotland.
The Animal By-Products (Scotland) Regulations 2003 lays down rules concerning animal-by products, including the collection, transport and disposal of former foodstuffs, and the approval of premises for the different types of treatment of animal by-products (including composting).
Northern Ireland
The Landfill Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 implement the Landfill Directive (99/31/EC) in Northern Ireland and set out a pollution control regime for landfills for this purpose. Part 2 and Schedule 1 of the regulations detail waste acceptance criteria
Landfills are also subject to the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 which implemented Council Directive 96/61/EC concerning Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control and the Waste Management Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003.
The Landfill Allowances Scheme (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2004 (NILAS) were made under the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003 for the purpose of implementing Articles 5(1) and (2) of Council Directive 99/31/EC on the landfill of waste in Northern Ireland. They make provision on the allocation, borrowing and transfer of landfill allowances subject to approval by the monitoring body, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and the Department of the Environment NI. Trading of allowances is not permitted in Northern Ireland.
The Animal By-Products (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2003, and subsequent amendments, lays down rules concerning animal-by products, including the collection, transport and disposal of former foodstuffs, and the approval of premises for the different types of treatment of animal by-products (including composting and biogas generation).
The Waste Management Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 amend Articles 2, 4, 5 and 31 of the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997, the Controlled Waste (Registration of Carriers and Seizure of Vehicles) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999, and the Controlled Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002, in order to implement (in part), the Waste Framework Directive (75/442 EEC) and the Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC).
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive aims to harmonise measures concerning the management of packaging and packaging waste and in particular, obligates the UK to meet targets for the recovery and recycling of packaging waste. The Directive covers all packaging placed on the Community market. Targets are set as a percentage of packaging flowing into the waste stream.
England
The EU Packaging Waste Directive 1994/62/EC, revised in 2004, resulted in the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2005 and further changes to the Regulations in 2007. The changes require volumes and weights of packaging to be the minimum
necessary to maintain safely and hygiene. Producers of waste are made responsible for proving
that their waste is diverted from landfill by getting Packaging Waste Recovery Notes (PRNs) from accredited re-processors or recyclers. The Regulations sought a 60% overall recovery and 55% minimum recycling of packaging waste by the end of last year, with specific recycling targets for each commodity.
Further changes to the Regulations have more recently been consulted upon following the publication of the UK’s Packaging Strategy in 2009. Changes proposed include higher targets for each material type and greater transparency on how PRN funds are spent.
Scotland
As for England, the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 implement Article 6(1) of Council Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste and its subsequent amendments.
Wales
As for England and Scotland, the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 implement Article 6(1) of Council Directive 94/62/EC on packaging
Northern Ireland
The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007 and the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 impose on producers the obligation to recover and recycle packaging waste, and related obligations, in order to attain the recovery and recycling targets set out in Article 6(1) of Council Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste, and in subsequent amendments.
END OF LIFE VEHICLES DIRECTIVE
The purpose of the End of Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive is to prevent waste from end of life vehicles and promote the collection, reuse and recycling of their components. It sets recycling targets and will require producers, dismantlers and shredders to establish collection systems for ELVs.
England
The End of Life Vehicles Directive 2000/23/EC resulted in the End of Life Vehicle (Producer Responsibility) Regulations 2005 dealing with cars and other vehicles. For motor cars, this aims to increase the recovery and recycling of old cars by requiring the use of authorised treatment nfacilities (ATFs) for their breakdown and reprocessing, and manufacturers are charged with the collection and recycling of their own-brand vehicles. The Regulations deal with metals, oils, batteries, tyres, plastics and WEEE from end of life vehicles. They set escalating targets for reuse and recovery. They require free take-back from 2007. These Regulations were a prequel to the government’s Scrap Vehicles scheme described below.
- Car Scrappage Scheme
The UK car scrappage scheme was set-up to take older cars off the roads, to encourage the
new car market, and by working through dealers ensure returned cars are recycled as far as
possible. In order to qualify for the £2000 payment, cars to be scrapped had to be 10 years old or more, the car to be purchased had to be new, the buyer had to have owned or kept the vehicle for at least twelve months, it had to have a valid MOT. Vans up to 3.5 tonnes also qualified for the scheme which was voluntary. Initially due to end in February 2010, the scheme ended March 2010.
The End-of- Life (Producer Responsibility) Regulations 2005, implementing Articles 5(1), (2), (4) and 7 of End-of-Life Vehicles Directive (2000/53/EC) is also applicable in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. Regulatory targets for the reuse, recovery and recycling for end-of-life vehicles treated at authorised treatment facilities (Regulation 18) are the same across all regions of the UK.
WASTE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT DIRECTIVE (WEEE)
The two European Directives are Directive 2002/96/EC on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), and Directive 2002/95/EC governing the use of hazardous substances, as described above.
England & Wales
The WEEE Directive is transposed in England & Wales under the Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005, as well as in the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006, and the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Waste Management Licensing) (England and Wales) Regulations 2006, both coming into force early in 2006. The Regulations deal with plastics and metals, including hazardous substances such as mercury, arising from electrical and electronic goods from households as well as the commercial and industrial sector.
All producers must be members of a Producer Compliance Scheme (PCS) that is set treatment and recycling obligations based on WEEE collected at Designated Collection Facilities (DCFs). ‘EEE’ with a ‘wheeled bin crossed-out’ has to be shown on all relevant products, and free in-store take-back schemes must be provided. Local Authorities have designated community recycling sites as DCFs and have received some funding for doing so through the Distributor Take back Scheme.
Scotland
As for England and Wales, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006 transpose the main provisions of the WEEE Directive (2002/96/EC) and its subsequent amendments
The Waste Management Licensing Amendment (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) (Scotland) Regulations 2007 transpose the permit requirements of Article 6 and Annexes II and III of the WEEE Directive (2002/96/EC), and amend the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994 to facilitate the grant or variation of waste management licences in respect of WEEE
Northern Ireland
As in England, Scotland and Wales, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006 transpose the main provisions of the WEEE Directive (2002/96/EC). Regulations 4, 45 and 51, which deal with charges, do not extend to Northern Ireland. It is therefore the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Charges) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 that prescribes the charges to be paid to the Department of the Environment.
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Waste Management Licensing) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 transpose the permit requirements of Article 6 and Annexes II and III of the WEEE Directive, and amend the Waste Management Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003. They provide for exemptions from permit requirements for treatment of waste electrical and electronic equipment, together with exemptions from the permit requirements of the Landfill Directive (2006/12/EC) for the purposes of storing WEEE.
INTEGRATED POLLUTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL DIRECTIVE (IPPC) 1996/61/EC
The IPPC Directive introduced a new integrated permitting regime for major industrial and waste sites covering air, water and land pollution. It targets industrial sectors considered to have a high potential to cause pollution and aims to provide a high level of protection for the environment as a whole and extends traditional approaches to environmental protection by including energy use, waste minimisation, vibration and noise.
Sectors of industry regulated by IPPC include energy, metal production and processing, minerals, chemicals production and waste management
England & Wales
The Pollution Prevention and Control (Public Participation) (England and Wales) Regulations 2005 govern industrial facilities such as oil or gas installations and ensures that they are reducing waste at source and also achieving energy and water efficiency improvements. It sought to bring the most significant 4500 sites within the rules by 2007.
Scotland
The Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000 set out, for Scotland, a pollution control regime for the purpose of implementing the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive (Council Directive 96/61/EC) and for regulating other environmentally polluting activities not covered by the Directive.
Northern Ireland
Similarly, in Northern Ireland the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 set out a pollution control regime for the purpose of implementing the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive (96/61/EC) in the province, and for regulating other environmentally polluting activities not covered by the Directive.
The earlier relevant legislation includes the EU Directive 1991/157/EEC on Batteries and Accumulators as well as 1993/86/EEC and 1998/101/EC. A new Batteries Directive came into force in September 2006 and the UK transposed this into law during 2008.
England and Wales
In England the Directive has been transposed through the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations which came into force on 5 May 2009 establishing a new Producer Responsibility system for the collection, treatment and recycling of waste portable, industrial and automotive batteries.
A new producer takeback scheme comes into force in January 2010, dealing with batteries from households. Automotive and industrial batteries are also covered by these Directives. The most recent enactment deals with ending the use of hazardous materials, such as cadmium and mercury, in the manufacture of batteries, except certain specialised batteries, sets-out targets for collection (25% by 2012, 45% by 2016) and bans the disposal of untreated car and industrial batteries.
Scotland
The Waste Batteries (Scotland) Regulations 2009 updated the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Environment Act 1995, the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994, the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000 and the Landfill (Scotland) Regulations 2003 in line with requirements of the Batteries Directive (2006/66/EC)
Northern Ireland
The Waste Batteries and Accumulators (Treatment and Disposal) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 updated the Waste Management Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003, the Hazardous Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005, the Landfill Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003, and the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 in line with requirements of the Batteries Directive (2006/66/EC)
The Waste Oil Directive 75/439/EEC. prioritises regeneration of waste oil, for use again as oil. Currently, most waste oil in the UK is treated and used as a fuel substitute for virgin oil (primarily in power generation and kilns).
England & Wales
The relevant legislation transposing requirements of the Directive includes the Hazardous Waste Regulations (England and Wales) 2005 and legislation associated with the transposition of the Waste Incineration Directive 2000/76/EC and the Integrated Pollution Control Directive (IPPC) 1996/61/EC. Rules govern the storage and disposal of waste oil from cars, as well as industrial and household processes, and deal with the burning of old oils as an energy replacement.
Scotland
Waste oil is subject to the requirements laid down in the Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) Regulations 2003 and the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003, as well as the Special Waste Regulations 1996 and its subsequent amendments.
Northern Ireland
Waste oil is currently subject to the requirements laid down in the Hazardous Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005, and the Waste Incineration Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003. Proposed new legislation, the Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) Regulations (Northern) Ireland) 2010, is due by the end of 2010
A series of pieces of legislation set rules identifying hazardous materials, their controlling management, reprocessing and disposal to ensure public and environmental safety. The materials affected are listed in the European Waste Catalogue (EWC) 2002.
England & Wales
The relevant legislation transposing the Directive includes the Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005 which transposes the EU Directive 1991/689/EEC on Hazardous waste together with the legislation associated with transposition of the WEEE Directive described above, the Directive on Batteries and Accumulators and the 1996/59/EC Directive on the Disposal of PCBs and PCTs.
The sources of waste include fluorescent tubes, cleaning fluids, batteries, oils, electrical goods, commercial facilities including photographic processors, vehicle re-processors, television and computer re-processors.
From 2004 co-disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste was banned. A producer registration scheme was entered-into in 2005, with waste being catalogued and sent for authorised recovery or re-processing. And from 2005, pre-treatment before disposal was introduced, with a Waste Acceptance Procedure under Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC).
Scotland
In Scotland, the Special Waste Regulations 1996 and The Special Waste Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2004 set out procedures to be followed when disposing of, carrying and receiving special waste, and transpose the Hazardous Waste Directive (91/689/EC). The Special Waste Regulations 2006 are the principal piece of legislation covering special waste arising in Scotland.
Northern Ireland
The Hazardous Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 set out the regime for the control and tracking of the movement of hazardous waste for the purpose of implementing the Hazardous Waste Directive (Directive 91/689/EC) in Northern Ireland. The definition of hazardous waste in regulation 6 refers to the list of hazardous wastes set out in the List of Wastes (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2005.
The Landfill (Amendment No.2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007 amended the Landfill Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 with regard to the waste acceptance criteria for hazardous waste at landfill sites.
The main waste related impact of this Framework Directive, currently undecided-on by all of the Member States including the UK, is to consider the impacts that new policies will have on soils, and a duty on land-users to prevent or minimise harm to soils. The Directive also deals with soil sealing, soil erosion and soil contamination.
HOUSEHOLD WASTE RECYCLING ACT 2003
England
The Act requires local authorities in England to collect separately at least two separate recyclable fractions of household waste by 2010. Guidance document published in April 2005.
Northern Ireland
Does not apply in Northern Ireland
Scotland
Does not apply in Scotland.
Wales
The Act enables the National Assembly for Wales to produce Regulations to adopt its provisions within Wales. No regulations have been issued.
FINANCE ACT (& LANDFILL TAX REGULATIONS 1996)
England & Wales
The Finance Act 1996 contains the primary law on the tax and provides for secondary legislation, which generally deals with the more detailed implementation of the tax. An important aspect of this secondary legislation is the Landfill Tax Regulations 1996, which cover details of registration procedures, credits, accounting and the environmental trusts provisions. The regulations also specify situations in which the water content can be ignored in calculating the weight for tax purposes.
The object was to de-incentivise landfill as a waste disposal solution by charging a tax for each tonne of waste so disposed-of. This tax affects all materials collected by local authorities and sent to landfill and subsequent Chancellor’s Budgets have increased this tax and in 2007 proposals were made to introduce the landfill tax escalator. This meant increases of £8 per tonne each year on active wastes.
From April 2010, the landfill tax on active wastes was £48 per tonne. The landfill tax escalator is set to continue to £80 by 2014, the aim of which is to provide certainty for investment purposes
The Landfill Tax Regulations 2006 apply to all countries of the UK.
England, Scotland & Wales
This piece of legislation caused the creation of the Environment Agency in England and Wales and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) in Scotland as the main statutory bodies for the regulation and control of the environment, including protection measures, bringing to an end decades of confusion about responsibilities between its three predecessor authorities.
The Act also gave the EA the right to charge for environmental licences and to fine offenders. This is the legislation that required the Secretary of State to prepare a policy document governing recovery and disposal of waste, which has been published as the National Waste Strategy, as well as provisions for imposing producer responsibilities and creating strategies for air and water protection.
Northern Ireland
The Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 provides a statutory framework to enable transposition of the requirements of the IPPC directive (96/61/EC) Management, and make additional provision for the prevention and control of environmental pollution, as well as providing legislation in Northern Ireland broadly similar to that already in operation in Great Britain in the Environment Act 1995 (Part IV), the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999 and the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.