Waste

Abstract

The word "waste" appears in legislation, regulations and contracts all the time. As the law on waste becomes more strict and more expensive to comply with, the need to identify material as waste or not as the case may be will become even more acute. The ECJ criteria are such that most production residue is likely to be caught as waste, except in the very narrow category of by-product. The public control of waste is certainly a desirable indeed necessary government activity. However, the European Union by Directive is setting higher and higher reduction and recycling targets, making landfill more and more difficult and more and more expensive, and imposing very strict requirements for the disposal of hazardous waste, so that irresponsible persons may be induced to fly-tip and even responsible persons may be discouraged from recycling. © Sweet & Maxwell and Contributors.