Volume of responses force Defra to delay revised waste exemption rules.
For just over a year, The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Welsh Assembly Government and the Environment Agency have been undertaking a review of the waste exemptions from environmental permitting. The aim of the review was to provide a more risk based and proportionate approach to the regulation of waste recovery and disposal operations, complementing the new environmental permitting regime.
The consultation included a number of proposed measures aimed at increasing the use of exemptions for as wide a range as possible of low risk activities (including most of those operating under an Environment Agency low risk position) whilst removing or restricting the availability of the exemptions for higher risk waste operations by seeking to regulate higher risk operations through one or more standard permits.
The consultation also sought views on a partial impact assessment and a draft set of regulations. This consultation closed on Thursday 23 October 2008, and a summary of responses – including those from the National Federation of Demolition Contractors and the Institute of Demolition Engineers – has just been published.
Defra reports that the original proposal was to implement revised regulations by October 2009. However, the high level of stakeholder engagement during and since the consultation has led to an increased number of policy issues requiring resolution. Defra, Welsh Assembly Government and the Environment Agency have therefore decided to put back the implementation of new regulations until the next available opportunity in April 2010.
Further details, including a summary of responses, can be found here.
