But do you check what the waste really is?

As the waste holder, you are directly responsible for its classification and assessment.

Ever get the feeling that the waste transfer certificate is not telling you the whole truth?

If you find yourself unexpectedly holding  incorrectly classified waste, the consequences in terms of disposal costs or even prosecution can be severe.

A simple low cost test ensures your compliance

The QED hydrocarbon analyser identifies the hydrocarbon and tells you the concentration in a simple 5 minute test that can cost as little as £5, and you can easily do it yourself onsite – even before the waste reaches you.

Some of the UK’s largest waste management companies are using the QED to save thousands of pounds a month, at the same time ensuring compliance with the Environment Agency’s regulations.

New rules regarding landfill tax that came out in April 2018 bring severe penalties if waste soil is incorrectly disposed of. Incorrect classification of the hazardous properties as described in WM3 will be the main reason for incorrect disposal. To determine the correct classification WM3 requires the chemicals in the waste to be accurately identified. For oily wastes including soil contaminated with any form of hydrocarbon or tar, the concentration and identification of the hydrocarbon or tar must be made.

Current laboratory methods that give just a single TPH value are unsuitable for identification of the hydrocarbon type. If coal tar is present in the sample, the standard laboratory TPH method is likely to significantly under report the hydrocarbon concentration present. This method cannot differentiate between coal tar and other degraded petroleum hydrocarbons. This means that even MCERTS or UKAS accredited laboratory results for soil samples containing coal tar are potentially incorrect. This could allow the bulk waste soil to be incorrectly classified. Coal tar was widely disposed of at un-registered disposal facilities and also from before 1970 was a major component of road surface binder. Relying on historical records is not a guarantee for the absence of coal tars.

The alternative is to specify that the analysis is carried out using a QED HC-1 analyser from QROS. The QED can easily differentiate and identify coal tars, bitumen tars, creosotes as well as numerous petroleum derived fuels and oils. The QED was designed for on site use, allowing real time data to be obtained, maximising project efficiency on site. The QED is available for hire or purchase and can be used by anyone on site with a minimum of training to give reliable and accurate analytical data.