Having recently spoken to some of our members I thought it would be a good idea to update myself and our members on the topic of Duty of Care and where does the responsibility lie.

The duty comes from section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Act and applies to any person who produces, imports, carries, keeps, treats or disposes of controlled waste, or as a broker has control of such waste. Breach of the duty of care is an offence, with a penalty of an unlimited fine if convicted on indictment, as well as reputational damage.

Who does Duty of Care apply to?

• It applies to anyone involved in the waste journey;
• The waste producer – the person or company who has produced the waste;
• The waste carrier – the company collecting the waste;
• The waste manager – the company managing the waste.

I think the key one here for me is the first point ‘anyone involved in the waste journey’

The link below is a very useful and simple guide to Duty of Care for you to download.
Simple Guide to Duty of Care

Further useful information can be found at http://www.rightwasterightplace.com/

Adnan Zeb-Khan, Carpet Recycling UK