The verb ‘discard’ in the Waste Framework Directive has a special and limited meaning which requires the materials to be subjected to a disposal or recovery operation.
Carnwath J said: ‘The general concept is now reasonably clear. The term discard is used in a broad sense equivalent to ‘get rid of’. The phrase get rid of’ is concerned with materials which have ceased to be required for their original purpose, normally because they are unsuitable, unwanted or surplus to requirements. That broad category is however limited by the context, which shows that the purpose is to control disposal and recovery of such material. Accordingly, materials which are to be reused (rather than finally disposed of) but which do not require any recovery operation before being put to their new use, are not treated as waste.’ and ‘Insofar as the discarded materials do not require any recovery operation, they are not treated as waste at all. Insofar as they do require recovery operations, they remain waste until those recovery operations are complete.’
Judges:
Carnwath J
Citations:
[1997] EWHC Admin 495, [1999] ENVLR 489
Links:
Statutes:
Council Directive 75/442/EEC, Trans-frontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 1994
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Cited by:
Per incuriam – Attorney-General’s Reference (No 5 of 2000) CACD 6-Jun-2001
Waste products could become ‘controlled waste’ and subject to licensing procedures without there being a recovery or disposal operation being involved. A rendering process produced a condensate which the company wished to spread on farm land without . .
Limited – Castle Cement v Environment Agency Admn 22-Mar-2001
The court was asked ‘whether the burning of Cemfuel, as a fuel in the Ribblesdale and Ketton Cement Works operated by the Applicant (Castle), amounts to the burning of ‘hazardous waste’, as the Environment Agency has concluded, or to the burning of . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Environment, Licensing, European
Updated: 26 May 2022; Ref: scu.137440