What is restricted solid waste and what are the requirements for its transport and disposal? Waste classification is necessary for the safe and responsible management of different waste materials and restricted solid waste is sufficiently problematic to demand more stringent standards for dealing with it.
Restricted solid waste is the highest classification of solid waste. Although there isn’t a list of pre-classified restricted solid waste items they may be determined by chemical assessment under the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC). The law dictates that waste generators observe waste classification in order to work out the right waste management and disposal practices to conform to.
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To begin the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has very clear guidelines on where restricted solid waste should go. It details specifications on what a landfill suitable to accept this classification of waste should have. From the landfill’s location to its design and construction, to its operation and even to its management post-closure, it’s all about dealing with restricted solid waste in the safest and most secure manner.
The EPA makes sure that there is a high price to pay when it comes to the illegal disposal of restricted solid waste. The office certainly works hard to guarantee that there is a zero tolerance approach to the illegal dumping of waste, no matter the classification. Besides the clean-up cost, there is also a hefty penalty involved as well. Any profit gained from an illegal disposal is confiscated. A published apology is also normally required.
Property owners receiving waste illegally will be fined anywhere from $60,000 (individuals) to $120,000 (corporations). Those who transport waste and illegally dispose of it can be fined up to about $120,000 (individuals) or $250,000 (corporations) and be sentenced to up to two years in prison. If illegal disposal causes environmental harm, the punishment is usually a four-year prison sentence plus a fine of $500,000 for individuals and up to $2 million for corporations. Understandably, when licensed operators make mistakes they can have their licence revoked as well.
Restricted solid waste generators have an obligation to ensure that their waste is legally transported and disposed of at a lawful facility within an appropriate distance from the waste’s place of generation. Illegal transport offences usually carry a fine of about $44,000 for individuals and $44,000 for corporations.
Evidently, waste is serious business, and rightly so, since its impact on the environment and society can be massive and widespread. The laws and protocols are definitely there for the greater good.
AES is a professional fuel tank removal, waste management and asbestos removal firm in Sydney. We specialise in environmental remediation.
We love hearing from people about their industrial and commercial environmental remediation projects: Talk to AES about your project.
