Legislation

It is essential that the waste we produce has as little impact as possible on our local and global environment. The purpose of legislation is to ensure that waste is managed in a controlled manner and to encourage good practice in our use of resources.

Over the past 30 years, the EU has produced a steady stream of Directives intended to improve and harmonise waste managmenet policies and practices across Member States. In recent years, new waste management legislation has been made in Northern Ireland including:

The introduction of The Waste and Contiminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 & The Waste Management Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003
The introduction of The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Nothern Ireland) Order 1998
The introduction of Landfill Allowance Scheme Regulations (2004) Northern Ireland which provides strict controls on the quantities and types of waste we can dispose of to landfill, and on how operations must be conducted
The extension of controls to a wider range of wastes, including the review of agricultural waste, as well as other wastes not previously covered by the licensing system
A review of hazardous waste

To help businesses understand their obligations, NetRegs provides free and anonymous advice to help small businesses identify the environmental legislation relevant to them and take steps to comply.