The EA has issued a guidance note (v1 dated 6 November 2018) for the compaction of offensive waste. This note has been produced to provide clarity on the regulatory approach that is required, depending on the type of compaction activity being undertaken.
The guidance note recognises that light compaction (of waste in bags) where the bags are unlikely to split, will have a low risk of pollution. Heavy compaction where the bags are likely to split poses an unacceptable risk of pollution if emissions are not appropriately captured.
The guidance sets out the requirements for:
Storage of waste (temporarily) pending collection where the waste is lightly compacted to facilitate the collection / transportation
Compaction at a permitted waste facility
with a bespoke permit
with a standard rules permit
It refers the operator to the guidance in EPR 5.07 relating to the compaction of clinical and offensive hygiene waste.
A copy of both EPR 5.07 and the EA’s guidance document is in the resource section of the HWMA website.