Landfills—key waste issues

Copyright © 2025 LexisNexis

Published by a LexisNexis Environment expert

Practice notes

Landfills—key waste issues

Copyright © 2025 LexisNexis

Published by a LexisNexis Environment expert

Practice notes

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Types of waste

In England and Wales, apart from public health legislation, there was no regulation of landfilling activities until the control of Pollution Act 1974 (CPA 1974). Consequently, any historical landfill could have accepted a wide range of potentially hazardous material including asbestos, waste chemicals, waste effluent and/or sludge.

Waste is classified into different categories including commercial, household, industrial and hazardous waste.

Before waste can be disposed to landfill it must be:

•
treated (with some exceptions)
•
classified
•
characterised to determine to which class of landfill it will be sent

For information on the classification of waste, see Practice Note: Waste duty of care—classification and coding.

Landfill waste in England and Wales is regulated through the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016.

The Government has issued guidance on the disposal of waste to landfill in England.

The obligations do not apply to:

•
the spreading on the soil of sludges (including sewage sludges and sludges resulting from dredging operations)
•
the use in landfills of inert waste for redevelopment or restoration work
•
the deposit of unpolluted soil

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United Kingdom

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EA definition

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