Category Archives: Compliance

Extended Producer Responsibility – Packaging Reporting

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Extended Producer Responsibility – Packaging Reporting

EPR – Enormous Paperwork Route 🙂

As of around now (April 2024) Companies in the UK above a certain size (turnover) and handling more than 25 tons of packaging will need to start reporting this to the Government.

If you are over the thresholds for turnover / size then after that it becomes quite difficult to decide what does and doesn’t apply to your organisation!

Some of Easier Checks

“You must collect data about the packaging you’ve supplied within the UK market or imported into the UK for 2023 and from 2024 onward.”

So you have to count packaging you import or supplied to UK market. But what does that mean.

piles of plastic drums and film

This picture shows a large pile of 25 litre plastic drums piled up in the heap.

Example of Extended Producer Responsibility

A fruit distributor imports reusable wooden crates full of apples to the UK, and then packs them in to small plastic crates, lined with disposable plastic film. So of the crates are new, and other reused. The reusable crates are sent back to france, and some of the plastic crates are returned to the distributor for refilling.

What do you keep a record of?

  • You do not record the wooden crate as they are sent back to france so they do not “end up” in the UK.
  • You do not record the used crates, because they are reusable.
  • You do record the new crates as they are new packaging introduced into UK market.
  • You do record the plastic film as this was created and ends it life in UK.

Download Spreadsheet for EPR Records 

Confused?

Yes so are we. But hopefully less confused than you are? 😉 So please contact us for help, and we will assist if we can.

All the best.

Compliance Reviw at Pharmaceutical Company – Woking

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Compliance Review at Pharmaceutical Company – Woking

 

Southwest Environmental Limited have recently visited a Pharmaceutical Company near Woking, a Town situated to the Southwest of London. 
We were invited to attend site so as to make a review a specific processes and make comment on whether they were appropriate. 

There was the over all site process and classification to consider, and also the waste streams created on site, and consideration of compliant disposal routes. 
We completed our review and provided a comprehensive write up of our findings within 3 working days of the site visit. 
Southwest Environmental Limited has been advising complex industries on compliance for over a decade, we work hard to understand you process so we can supply the best possible advise.

(TEEP) Assessments

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(TEEP) Assessments 

TEEP (‘technically, environmentally and economically practicable’ ) Assessments are designed to establish whether separate waste collection are technically, environmentally and economically practicable.

Based on the continued uptake of segregated waste collection, it is clear that the general outcome of technically, environmentally and economically practicable TEP Assessments, is that comingled waste collection is not technically, environmentally and economically practicable.

The requirement for TEEP stems from The EU revised Waste Framework Directive (r-WFD) was transposed into UK law through the Waste (England and Wales) Regulation 2012. The r-WFD clarifies key concepts such as the definition of waste, recycling and disposal. The directive places more emphasis on the waste hierarchy and improving the quality of collected recyclable material that is sent to re-processors.

Various quangos have produced guidance on how best to implement the directive, but a significant part of the process is the TEEP assessment, at the time of writing there are 42 councils in the UK, that have not done this.

If you require assistance in carrying out you TEEP, then please get in touch SWEL can help.

Ship Recycling Plan – Exeter

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Ship Recycling Plan – Exeter

Whilst undertaking a complex permit application for a ship recycling facility in Exeter, UK. Southwest Environmental Limited were requested to prepare a Ship Recycling Plan.

The ship recycling plan was based on the following guidance, whilst has alterations made for contextual accuracy.


  •  Overview of ship recycling in the UK (DEFRA 2007)
  •  Guidelines for ballast water management and developments of ballast water management plans (International Maritime Organization)
  • Guidelines on Ship Recycling (InternationalMaritime Organization, 2003)
  • Ballast performance standards set by the Convention for the Control and Management of Ship Ballast Water and Sediments (International Maritime Organization, 2004)
  • 2012 Guidelines For Safe And Environmentally Sound Ship Recycling (MEPC)

It was felt that this document could in some way replace the environmental management system, and certainly creates a lot of duplications, but the ship recycling plan was requested as part of the duly made requirements, upon appraisal of the application by the Environment Agency, and so had to be submitted to meet their requirements.

If you require a Ship Recycling Plan for you operation then please get in touch. Contact details are at the top of the page.

Compliance Consultants Exeter

Legal Review – Insect Nuisance

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Legal Review – Insect Nuisance

SWEl are undertaking a legal review of a business environmental managment proceedures relating to insect nuisence experinced by neighbouring properties.

A waste treatment facility gives is situated in close proximity to a collection of office buildings, summer see fly populations reach klevels where by occupants are annoyed / irritated by presence of flys.

Site owners are concerned that the fly problem which is now established is discouraging potential tenants from the office park.

SWEL are conductig a legal review with an aim to making a case to aid the site owners in their aim of reducing the fly nuisence.

Compliance Consultants