04 June 2009

Environment Agency - Home

What is hazardous waste?

Find out more about how we define hazardous waste.

How do I know if my waste is hazardous?

Your waste will fall into one of the following categories:

waste considered to be hazardous under the hazardous waste regulations, for example: lead acid batteries or fluorescent tubes

waste that is not considered to be hazardous, for example: edible oil

waste that needs to be assessed to find out whether it is hazardous or not, for example: ink or paint

Guide to hazardous waste

Some types of waste are harmful to human health, or to the environment, either immediately or over an extended period of time. This is called hazardous waste.

If your business produces hazardous waste you have a 'duty of care' to make sure it's disposed of properly.

We have written a simple guide to help you work out if your waste in hazardous. The guide covers many different types of produced waste.

We've also updated our detailed guidance on hazardous waste, known as WM2 guidance. Download the latest information.