Introduction of a UK - wide digital waste tracking system: partial business regulatory impact assessment

Footnotes

1 SEPA 2018 Waste from All Sources dataset

2 Waste that displays specified properties that might make it more harmful to human health or the environment if not managed appropriately.

3 POPs waste is toxic, bioaccumulative, long-ranging and does not break down in the environment and can be found in a wide range of products from sofas to IT equipment.

4 Making Things Last: a circular economy strategy for Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

5 Regulation (EU) No 2019/1021 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on persistent organic pollutants, as it forms part of domestic law on and after Transition Period completion day, and as amended by The Persistent Organic Pollutant (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020

6 A common data reporting framework for businesses handling commercial and industrial waste by the end of 2019, ideally through voluntary reporting but if necessary by legislation, National Infrastructure Assessment 1 - NIC

7 LIFE SMART Waste | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

8 An environmental permit gives “permission” to an operator to carry out a set of particular activities.

9 Waste exemptions allow waste operations considered low risk to be carried out according to general rules, without the need to apply for an environmental permit.

10 The number of waste movements does not feed into the cost benefit analysis.

11 Estimates have not been published.

12 Estimates have not been published.

13 This is likely to be an underestimate of total waste transfers as the total waste transfer notes figure does not include transfers of waste that are carried out using a season ticket.

14 3-year average over 2016, 2017 and 2018

15 All businesses that produce or handle waste are required under Section 34 of The Environmental Protection Act 1990 to complete a written description of waste when they transfer it to someone else Environmental Protection Act 1990 (legislation.gov.uk)

16 https://www.gov.scot/publications/duty-care-code-practice/

17 https://www.edoconline.co.uk/

18 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/waste-duty-of-care-code-of-practice and https://www.gov.scot/publications/duty-care-code-practice/pages/1/

19 The Special Waste Regulations 1996

20 Examples of additional information required are: details of where waste will be taken, details of the process which has given rise to the waste, chemical component details and UN classification numbers.

21 This is controlled by separate legislation involving equivalent notes - The Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 2007 (applies to whole UK).

22 Green growth and circular economy - Environment - European Commission (europa.eu).

23 Regulation (EU) No 2019/1021 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on persistent organic pollutants, as it forms part of domestic law on and after Transition Period completion day, and as amended by The Persistent Organic Pollutant (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020

24 For example, wastedataflow, National Packaging Waste Database, and Electronic Duty of Care

25 Internal evidence – not published.

26 A circular economy is an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources.

27 The Waste Tracking User Panel has around 1200 members representing waste producers, carriers, brokers, dealers, waste site operators, local authorities and regulators from across the UK, 450 of which operate in Scotland. Members of this Panel are helping to develop the service by getting involved in user research and testing the system as it is developed.

28 Waste exemptions allow waste operations considered low risk to be carried out according to general rules, without the need to apply for a waste management licence/permit. In Scotland, many exempt sites are still subject to the rules regarding consignment and waste transfer notes.

29 Independent Review into Serious and Organised Crime in the waste sector, November 2018.

30 For Scotland, this includes Scottish Government Commitments set out in Making things Last: A circular economy strategy for Scotland and SEPA commitments set out in One Planet Prosperity: SEPA’s regulatory strategy

31 Regulation (EU) No 2019/1021 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on persistent organic pollutants, as it forms part of domestic law on and after Transition Period completion day, and as amended by The Persistent Organic Pollutant (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020

32 Defra Regulatory Triage Assessment for the Circular Economy Package 2020 (page 13)

33 A web-based system for municipal waste data reporting by UK local authorities to government - WasteDataFlow Waste Management

34 The current WDF contract is due to expire. It has been deemed insufficient to renew the contract as there are several fundamental issues that can only be addressed by rebuilding the service.

35 Not published

36 Regulation (EU) No 2019/1021 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on persistent organic pollutants, as it forms part of domestic law on and after Transition Period completion day, and as amended by The Persistent Organic Pollutant (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020

37 Defra Regulatory Triage Assessment for the Circular Economy Package 2020 (page 13)

38 WDF is currently used by LAs to collect data on the types and quantities of all municipal waste collected.

39 https://www.gov.uk/guidance/importing-and-exporting-waste#article-18

40 This data was recorded in a survey carried out in January 2021.

41 Split from UK-level data using population data

42 Mandating that digital records of all waste movements and transfers are held and submitted by obligated businesses is an alternative scenario to the baseline – a new Waste Tracking service for all waste, rather than just hazardous waste and POPs waste.

43 Split UK-level data using population data

44 In the absence of data on the split of waste crime costs to the public sector between taxation, clearing of illegally dumped waste and compliance monitoring/enforcement, we have assumed that the full cost to the public sector is loss of taxation. Therefore, the assumed reduction in waste crime reflects an increase in taxation receipts for the public sector (the increase in taxation receipts will be an additional cost to businesses). However, in reality the cost to businesses is likely to be less as some of this benefit will be reduced clean-up costs, or reduced compliance monitoring/enforcement costs.