There are four main functions to waste management:
Disposal
The Waste Disposal Authority is the authority responsible for getting rid of the waste that your local council collects from your doorstep and rubbish and recycling that you take to
community recycling centres. In Surrey, the county council is the Waste Disposal Authority and consequently we encourage residents strongly to reduce and recycle their rubbish before it ever reaches us.
Planning
The Waste Planning Authority is the authority that assesses which sites in the county are suitable and appropriate for building waste facilities of all types - dealing with rubbish of all types. In Surrey, the county council is the Waste Planning Authority and this authority has produced the
Surrey Waste Plan. This land use document has been subject to a separate public consultation and sets out policies and assessments relating to potential sites for waste treatment facilities to be developed up to 2016. The planning authority also considers and determines planning applications for any waste facilities. However, there needs to be independence and objectivity in the planning process, so we keep the waste planning and waste disposal roles separate. This is admittedly confusing for many residents but is legally and morally necessary for good governance.
Collection
There are 11 Waste Collection Authorities in Surrey, which are the
11 district and borough councils. They collect your
rubbish including any waste that you have separated out for
recycling. The Waste Disposal Authority only then deals with the rubbish that has been collected that cannot be recycled - in other words what you put into your household bin. The districts and boroughs are also responsible for dealing with the recycling you put out at your doorstep as well as what you take to the
recycling bank sites.
Regulating Household and Business Waste
The
Environment Agency regulates the transport, sorting, treating and disposing of both household and business waste in the UK. The local Environment Agency Office, which is at Swift House, Frimley Business Park, Frimley, Surrey GU16 5SQ. Tel: 08708 506 506, regulates
- Duty of Care
- Waste carriers licence
- Producer Responsibility Obligations for packaging waste
- Hazardous waste movements
- Waste management licences and permits for storage, treatment and disposal facilities.
