Welcome to HWM Group

23/05/2016

For Waste Producers...

The Environment Agency campaign targeting the classification and management of waste soils is looking closely at the assessment and classification at the point of production. The campaign means that every step in the waste chain will be checked to ensure operators are complying with the law. In order to facilitate full traceability and history trail for our clients, and also to comply with legislation for our tipping facility, we produce an assessment report for all sites. The waste assessment reports which are sent with every customer quotation contain a breakdown of classification for each sample test that appears on the Soil Analysis that you send us. See below for an example of what our waste classification summary part of the report looks like. 

To complete this waste assessment we analyse the hazardous or non-hazardous substances present, in what concentration and whether they are suitable for treatment at our facility

Our soil report analysis is carried out free of charge to customers with soil analysis requesting quotations for disposal or haul and dispose rates. The soil report you provide us with should contain data on the following: Full metal suite, PAH, TPH and BTEX. Asbestos screening data should also be included if necessary.

07/04/2016

Waste producer responsibility...

Waste (for the purposes of soils/concrete/tar-bound material) is anything produced on site that you wish to get rid of/ remove. 

Section 34 of the EPA90 act imposes a 'Duty of Care' on those concerned with controlled waste. “Duty of Care” means that a company producing waste is responsible for its proper and safe disposal, even if it has been passed to another party. Breach of the duty of care is an offence, with a penalty and unlimited fine if convicted. 

The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) have issued a code of practice.

The duty of care requires that: 

1. There is a description of the waste (there must be enough information to allow safe handling).
2. The waste is handled and stored properly to avoid polluting the environment.
3. When transferring waste a transfer note (WTN) is needed. This is a requirement of the Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991. This note should state the quantity of waste transferred and the type of container it has been placed in (Skip or Tipper Lorry). The note should also mention any special problems relating to the waste to avoid mis-management. It is the waste producers duty to keep a copy of the transfer note for a minimum period of 5 years. 
4. Waste may only be handed on to persons authorised to handle it. Waste carriers are registered with the Environment Agency and have a certificate of registration. 

It is your duty to ensure safe disposal of the waste at a licenced facility that is permitted to accept the material (in accordance with EA legislation and permit criteria) 

The Duty of Care applies to those who produce, import, carry, treat or dispose of controlled waste. It is a statutory obligation to ensure the waste is managed correctly under the Duty of Care legislation.  The duty includes classifying waste, knowing if it is hazardous or non-hazardous and dealing with it correctly and safely under the Duty of Care legislation.

17/02/2016

Amendments to EA regulations for Premise Codes...

On April 1st 2016 the regulations are changing for the producers of hazardous waste regarding Premises Registration.

Currently where 500kg or more of hazardous waste is produced, collected at or removed from premises, the premises must be registered with the Environment Agency who will issue a unique registration number to track movements of waste.

From 1 April, regardless of the amount of hazardous waste produced, stored or handled, premises registration will not be required in England and the consignment note code format will change. The first six characters of the consignment note code (currently the premises registration number) will be replaced by the first six characters of the business name. It will be the responsibility of the producer to ensure consistent use of the business name on all documents.

The legislation regarding SIC codes will also be changing. SIC 2007 codes will have to be used on consignment notes to match the present requirements for non-hazardous waste.

These changes only apply to England; it does not affect premises in other parts of the UK. If you are receiving waste from Wales into England, the consignment note code will not be changed. Welsh producers will still be required to register their premises with Natural Resources Wales and use their registration number in their consignment note code. If your waste is moved from England into Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland from 1 April 2016, the consignment note code will need to use the new format.

28/01/2016

New Year, New Hi-tech Kit...

HWM Ltd have worked closely with two outstanding companies, in the past year, to engineer and build a bespoke system for our Soil Treatment Facility in Hampshire.

Due to unprecedented growth on this side of the business, together with increase in demand for off-site remediation and the treatment of contaminated land, we realised an ever increasing requirement to maximise our material recovery and simultaneously reduce our waste volumes.

By setting up a bespoke system we were able to utilise our experience in the industry (and the science behind it) together with the skill and technical knowledge of our build partners.  We have now completed the installation phase and will soon be commissioning the unique piece of kit to increase our efficiency and output process for the non-hazardous and hazardous material that comes to us from the Construction/ Earthworks and Groundworks sectors.