Hazardous Waste Transfer Notes (Northern Ireland)

A waste transfer note (WTN) is a legally required document which must be completed for all transfers of non-hazardous waste to another party. The format of a WTN must conform to the requirements laid out in Section 2 of The Controlled Waste (Duty of Care) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002, as amended.

When hazardous waste is moved it must be accompanied by correctly completed paperwork called a consignment note, or hazardous waste consignment note (HWCN). The note must be prepared before any hazardous waste is moved and is required for all movements of hazardous waste. The format of a HWCN must meet the requirements set out in Schedule 4 of The Hazardous Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 (as amended).

You must either purchase a consignment note with a unique pre-printed ‘number’ or purchase a unique consignment ‘number’ from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) for entry onto your own consignment note stationery. Templates for each section of the HWCN and further guidance on consigning hazardous waste in Northern Ireland are available. If you do produce your own HWCNs they must include all of the information required as set out in Schedule 4 of The Hazardous Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005, as amended.

In Northern Ireland it is a legal requirement to keep copies of all HWCNs for at least three years. WTNs / waste transfer information (for movements of non-hazardous waste) must be retained for a minimum of two years.

An annual WTN or ‘season ticket’ is a single WTN that covers a series of non-hazardous waste transfers. You cannot have an annual HWCN in place for movements of hazardous waste.

All consignment notes in Northern Ireland must bear a unique code, issued from the NIEA. Consignment codes / numbers are made up of two letters – either DA, DB, or DC – and a series of numbers, e.g. DA 123456.

DA numbers: cost £24 and are used for all types of hazardous waste movement other than those listed in DB and DC below.

DB numbers: cost £10 each and are only for the consignment of hazardous waste consisting entirely of lead-acid batteries.

DC numbers: are free of charge and are restricted to:

• The second or subsequent removal of hazardous waste within a succession of small volume / extended carrier’s collection rounds
• The return of out-of-specification hazardous materials which are waste to the original manufacturer
• The removal of hazardous waste from a ship in a harbour area to reception facilities within the same harbour area or to a suitably authorised waste management facility outside the harbour area
• The unique number for the consignment should be entered in the top right-hand corner of the consignment note after ‘the Consignment Note No.’ (if not pre-printed)

HWCNs pre-printed with consignment numbers are available from the NIEA office. If preferred, a list of consignment note numbers for you to put on your own version of a HWCN can be purchased from the NIEA office. You should contact the NIEA to place an order; this can be done:

• by e-mail: [email protected]
• by fax: 02890 569310
• by post: Hazardous Waste, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, 1st Floor Klondyke Building, Cromac Avenue, Gasworks Business Park, Belfast, BT7 2JA
• or by calling into the NIEA office between the hours of 9am and 4pm (02890 569710)

(All requests must be on headed paper before the NIEA will issue notes or numbers).

Consignment notes / numbers cost the same regardless of them being supplied on the NIEA pre-printed stationery or for inclusion on your own stationery.

A consignment note is required for all movements of hazardous waste. Every time hazardous waste is collected from your premises and transferred to another site a consignment note must be in place and have the relevant sections completed correctly.

For hazardous waste consignment notes only paper copies are acceptable in Northern Ireland.

The following parts of the consignment note must be signed and dated by:

• Part A – the consignor (the waste producer, holder or an agent acting with authority from the producer or holder of the hazardous waste)
• Part C – the waste carrier
• Part D – the consignor
• Part E – the consignee (person who receives the hazardous waste to recover or dispose of it)

If you export hazardous waste from Northern Ireland to England or Wales, the site which receives the waste must send a completed deposit note to the NIEA.

If you export hazardous waste from Northern Ireland to Scotland, the site which receives the waste must send a completed deposit note to their local Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) office. SEPA will then forward a copy of the note to the NIEA.

If a waste carrier transports waste from Northern Ireland to the mainland UK, or from mainland UK to Northern Ireland, the carrier must have a valid registration in both Northern Ireland and one of the mainland UK countries.

In Northern Ireland, you must pre-notify the NIEA at least 72 hours and not more than one month before any hazardous waste leaves your site. The producer / holder or their agent must do this by filling in parts A and B of a pre-notification copy of a consignment note and send it to the NIEA.

The pre-notification copy of the consignment note can be sent to the NIEA:

• by e-mail: [email protected]
• by fax: 02890 569310
• by post: Hazardous Waste, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, 1st Floor Klondyke Building, Cromac Avenue, Gasworks Business Park, Belfast, BT7 2JA
• by hand: Northern Ireland Environment Agency, 1st Floor Klondyke Building, Cromac Avenue, Gasworks Business Park, Belfast, BT7 2JA

The consignor or their agent must post the original hard copy of the consignment note to the NIEA where they have pre-notified by e-mail or fax.

There are some circumstances where there are exemptions to the requirement to pre-notify. Pre-notification is not required for the following types of consignment:

• You regularly produce and transport the same type of waste to the same disposal / recovery facility – you only need to pre-notify NIEA of the first consignment in any one year
• Intra-group movements, for storage pending disposal or recovery.
• Off-specification products, which have been declared to be waste, and are to be returned to the supplier or manufacturer
• Your consignment only contains lead-acid vehicle batteries
• Waste produced on a ship being removed to a conveyance or reception facility

The NIEA’s public register allows checks to be carried out on waste carriers, waste exemptions and environmental permits in Northern Ireland. Simply select the register you wish to view, type in the company name (or you can use the address or permit number if you know it) and click ‘search’. You will then be able to see what authorisations your waste contractor has in place.

It is good practice to request a copy of the environmental permit for the disposal / recovery site that your waste is being sent to. By doing so, you can check the EWC codes (codes used to identify waste as listed in the European Waste Catalogue, also referred to as LoW (List of Waste) or Waste Classification Code) the permit authorises to be accepted at that site are the same as those for the hazardous wastes being removed from your premises.

Hazardous waste consignee returns are completed by the consignee to inform the regulator about the hazardous waste consignments that have been received, removed or disposed at a site. They are a compulsory requirement of The Hazardous Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005, as amended. To fulfil this requirement in Northern Ireland, a completed copy of the HWCN must be sent to the NIEA office immediately upon receipt of each consignment.

The consignee must send information known as a ‘return’ to the producer or holder of the waste entered on the consignment note. The return tells them what happened to their waste.

A return must be sent to the producer / holder of the hazardous waste received, either in the format set out in Schedule 8 of The Hazardous Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005, as amended, or through sending them a copy of the completed HWCN. This should be sent within 30 days of the consignee receiving the hazardous waste.

Ask for producer returns in writing if you do not get them – you need them to keep records.