Waste reviews, policies and action plans

A waste policy will determine how your business deals with waste, from staff operations to overall strategy.

Before you create a waste policy make sure that your business' senior management will support it. You will find it hard to implement the policy without this support.

What should a waste policy include?

A typical waste policy should include commitments to:

• comply with waste legislation
• change business practices or processes to minimise your waste
• use waste management options higher up the waste hierarchy
• reuse and recycle waste - or find someone else who can
• separate different types of waste and label your waste containers
• ensure storage facilities are suitable for the types of waste you produce
• train staff who handle different types of waste on good waste management
• make sure all staff understand your waste management policy

You should base the contents of your waste policy on the findings of your waste review.

Once your policy is in place, you should carry out regular reviews to ensure your approach to waste remains effective.

Environmental management systems and policies

Your waste management policy should be part of your business' environmental management system (EMS). If you have an EMS, you don't need to create a separate waste policy because it should already contain enough information.

If your business has an environmental policy, you may want to include waste issues as part of this rather than having a standalone waste policy.