As a result of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990, the Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991 & the Environment Act 1995 the University has a ‘Duty of Care’ with regards to waste.

This Duty of Care places responsibility on producers of waste to store, transport and dispose of waste legally and in a way that doesn’t harm the environment. The person/company who collects the waste from our site is the Waste Carrier and all Waste Carriers are required to be registered. For approved suppliers these checks have been made and the records are held centrally with Estates Waste & Recycling.

As a producer we must ensure any waste carriers we use are authorised and that any waste transfers must be accompanied by a written description of the waste (i.e. via a Waste Transfer Note – WTN or Consignment Note for Hazardous Wastes).

For scheduled collections of general waste and recyclables collected by our approved suppliers we operate under an annual Duty of Care WTN and no further paperwork is required. However for adhoc and special waste collections a WTN or Consignment note is required.

These notes must be completed for every load of waste we pass to others (i.e. that leaves our site/campus to go to a contractor). They show details of the carriers and site operators who handle our waste what they are dealing with – it ensures safe and legal management. They also ensure a clear audit trail from when the waste is produced until it is disposed of.

These notes must be completed and signed by both the person sending the waste and the person collecting the waste. The information on the WTN must include:

• A description of the waste – including the appropriate EWC Code

• How the waste is contained or packaged

• The quantity of the waste

• The place, date and time of transfer

• The name and address of both parties (producer and receiver)

• Details of the permit, licence or exemption of the person receiving the waste

• Pre-treatment declaration?

The University is required to keep copies of all WTN’s and Consignment Notes for two and three years respectively and must be able to produce them on demand to our environmental regulator or local council. As a result departments are required to forward any documentation received to Estates Waste & Recycling for central archives but also to keep a copy of the  documentation for the required period of time.

Further details on WTN’s and Consignment Notes can be found here:

Guidance on Waste Transfer Notes

Guidance on Consignment Notes