The Environment Agency’s (EA) definition of waste panel has shut down until further notice.
The panel, which played an important role in English waste regulations, and made decisions about whether a material constitutes waste in England or not, was suspended by the regulator in September 2016.
The announcement from the EA was circulated to industry members via an email on 20th December 2016. The email stated that the panel was closed “until further notice whilst its role and purpose is reviewed in the context of our waste regulation strategyâ€. The email also stated that there is no timescale for any further updates or outcome of the review.
Before its closure the panel received 50-60 enquiries a year from companies seeking guidance around what constitutes end-of-waste and a relatively well-defined process had been developed since a long-running disagreement between a waste oil recycler and the EA was resolved in 2011.
The EA have now directed users to a webpage containing guidance on determining the waste status of materials.
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