Hospitality Sector - Legislation Overview
Below is an overview of the most important environmental legislation which affects the Hospitality sector.
Duty of Care for Waste
The duty to ensure that waste, including waste sent for recycling, is controlled, handled and disposed of correctly and to take reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised depositing of waste. The Duty of Care rests with the holder of the waste at each stage in the chain from producer to final disposal.
Hazardous Waste Regulations
The Hazardous Waste Regulations (HWR) can affect businesses that produce, handle, store, treat or dispose of substances classified as 'hazardous waste'. Hazardous wastes from the Hospitality sector include (but are not limited to) Fluorescent tubes, mixed batteries, mineral oils, paints, solvents, aerosols with propellant or hazardous residues, contaminated packaging, hazardous WEEE, CRT monitors and asbestos. With the addition of 180 substances to the 'hazardous waste' classification, the HWR can increase the costs associated with your waste treatment and disposal.
The Animal By-Products Regulations
The Animal By-Products Regulations (ABPR) apply controls on the use, treatment, handling and disposal of food waste. Catering waste, defined as 'all waste food including used cooking oil originating in restaurants, catering facilities and kitchens, including central kitchens and household kitchens' cannot be fed to animals, and can go for composting or biogas only in a facility licensed under the ABPR. Catering waste can go to landfill or incineration provided livestock do not have access to it. DEFRA pages on ABPR.
Packaging Regulations
The packaging regulations apply to companies or groups which handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging and have a turnover of £2m per year. Hotels should include packaging on items supplied to guests, such as milk jiggers, beer bottles and shampoo sachets in calculating their obligation. Changes to the regulations in 2005 affect companies in the hospitality sector, requiring licensors, pub operating companies and franchise operators to consider the packaging handled by licensees in calculating their obligation. More on packaging regulations and the hospitality sector...
Trade Effluent and Discharge Consents
Businesses discharging any thing other than domestic sewage or clean rainwater to sewer need to have a Trade Effluent agreement with their sewerage undertaker. This applies to food disposal units operated by hotels and restaurants. If the discharge is going to controlled waters (ditches, streams, rivers, lakes, or drains connecting to them) then a Discharge Consent is required.
WEEE Regulations
The WEEE regulations will affect business users of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) when they come into effect as currently planned on 1st April 2007. Either the end user or the producer of the equipment will be responsible for the costs of collection, recycling, recovery and responsible disposal of WEEE, depending on when it was purchased and whether it is being replaced with equivalent equipment. How the regulations will affect business users of WEEE
Climate Change Levy
The Climate Change Levy (CCL) is a levy on some types of energy used by businesses, such as gas and electricity. From April 2007 the levy will start increasing in line with inflation, providing an added incentive to consider measures to reduce energy use. For help and advice on reducing your energy bill and carbon emissions, please visit the Carbon Trust website
Other resources