Transporting and disposing of waste

You should reduce the amount of waste you produce and reuse materials wherever possible. This is good business practice and may reduce your disposal costs.

If you are unable to further reduce or reuse your waste then your next option is to recycle. You must arrange for the recycling or treatment of certain products, such as batteries and electrical and electronic equipment.

Read our guidance on reducing, reusing and recycling your business waste, batteries and WEEE.

Handling waste

Give all employees and contractors working on your premises instructions about how to handle and dispose of each type of waste you produce.

Check regularly that your employees and contractors are following these instructions.

Transporting waste

You must only transport waste in suitable and secure containers and vehicles, to prevent waste from being spilled. Suitable containers include tankers, skips, intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) and drums.

You should cover or net loose materials to prevent them being blown out of the vehicle.

Disposing of waste

Disposing of waste should be your last option when you cannot reuse or recycle it. Try to find waste sites where your waste can be reprocessed or recovered.

Make sure the waste site you use is authorised to handle your waste type.

Read our guidance on specific waste types.

hazardous/special waste
batteries
waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)
waste containing ozone depleting substances and fluorinated gases, including fridges
radioactive substances
animal by-products
end-of-life vehicles

Use our Waste Directory to find authorised waste sites in your area.

In this guideline:

What is the duty of care?
Who is allowed to deal with your waste?
Records for transferring waste - waste transfer notes
Storing waste
Transporting and disposing of waste
Duty of care further information
Duty of care legislation