Glossary

AD : Anaerobic Digestion

Best Value : The duty on local authorities to deliver effective, economic and efficient services and seek continuous improvement in the quality and standard of their service provision.

Biodegradable : This is waste that is able to decompose through the action of waste bacteria or other microbes, including materials such as paper, food waste and garden waste.

BMW : Biodegradable Municipal Waste

Bring Site : A bring site or bring bank is a localised collection point for recyclables such as glass, paper, cans, etc

Brownfield Site : Previous industrially used site.

Bulky Waste : Waste is considered 'bulky' if weighs more than 25kg or any item that does not fit into the householder's bin; or if no container is provided, a cylindrical receptacle of 750mm in diameter and 1m high.

Business Waste : Commercial and industrial waste.

BVPI : Best value performance Indicator.

C & D : Construction & Demolition

CA : Civic Amenity.

Carcinogenic : Cancer producing.

Centralised Composting : Large-scale schemes that handle kitchen and garden waste from households and that may also accept suitable waste from parks and gardens. Schemes may rely on aerobic methods (see composting) or use anaerobic digesters.

Civic Amenity Waste : Civic Amenity (CA) Sites operated by either the Waste Disposal Authority (under Site the Environmental Protection Act 1990) or the local waste authority (under the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978) where residents within a specified area can dispose of their household waste, in particularly bulky waste, free of charge

CIWM : Chartered Institute of Waste Management

Clinical waste : Clinical waste is generated by medical, nursing, dental, veterinary, pharmaceutical, etc and may present a risk of infection.

Closed Landfills : Sites formally closed according to the Environment Agency are regarded as closed at a date if the operator has agreed with the Agency that they have ceased taking waste for disposal. Existing operational sites therefore include sites that have received a licence or permit, but have not yet started taking waste, and sites that have temporarily stopped taking waste, but plan to re-start ('mothballed' sites).

Co-disposal : Taking and landfilling with mixed waste (hazardous, BMW and inert).

Co-Mingled Materials : Waste collected in a mixed form that is destined for recycling after further sorting, usually in a materials reclamation facility (MRF).

Commercial waste : Waste arising from any premises that are used wholly or mainly for trade, business, sport recreation or entertainment, excluding municipal and industrial waste.

Composting : An aerobic, biological process in which organic wastes, such as garden and kitchen waste are converted into a stable granular material that can be applied to land to improve soil structure and enrich the nutrient content of the soil.

Construction and Demolition Waste : Arises from construction, repair, maintenance and demolition of building and structures. It mostly includes brick, concrete and hardcore, subsoil, and topsoil, but it can also include quantities of timber, metal, plastics and occasionally special waste materials.

Controlled Waste : Waste that must be managed and disposed of in line with regulations. Household, industrial, commercial and clinical waste that requires a waste management licence for treatment, transfer and disposal. The main exempted categories currently comprise mine, quarries and farm waste although these are soon to become controlled also. Other legislation and procedures control radioactive and explosive wastes.

DEFRA : Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.

Dry Recyclables : Materials such as paper, textiles and cans that can be collected through kerbside schemes or bring banks.

DSO : Direct Service Organisation.

DTI : Department of Trade and Industry

EA : The Environment Agency

EfW : Energy from Waste

EIF : Environmental Industries Federation

ELV : End-of-life Vehicles

ENCAMS : Environment Campaigns (formally Tidy Britain Group).

Energy Recovery from Waste : Includes a number of established and emerging technologies, though most energy recovery is through incineration technologies. Many wastes are combustible, with relatively high calorific values. This energy can be recovered through, for example, incineration with electricity generation but may also be achieved by composting and burning generated landfill gas for electricity generation.

Environment Agency : The Environment Agency for England and Wales was formed Agency by the Environment Act to regulate emissions of pollutants to air, land and water. The Agency's main role in the management of waste is through its regulatory activities to protect the environment and human health. Its duties include:
- licensing waste management facilities
- monitoring and inspecting waste management facilities
- enforcing regulations against illegal waste management activities
- providing data and information on waste quantities and management regimes

EPA : Environmental Protection Act 1990.

EWC : European Waste Catalogue (including the list of hazardous wastes).

FEL : Front End Loader

Fly-tipping : The illegal deposit of waste on land.

Food Waste : Food waste is either cooked or raw food waste, from domestic kitchens, whether it contains meat or not. Food waste has to undergo specific treatment in line with the stringent Animal By Products Regulations before it is considered safe to be used as compost. WCAs are allowed to collect and treat food waste separately from green waste WCAs may also combine food and green waste with the resulting mixture then being treated as food waste.

Garden Waste : Includes waste from gardens, grass cuttings, hedge clippings, flower cuttings. The composting of this waste requires fewer restrictions than when this waste is mixed with food waste

Gasification : This process is defined in the Renewables Obligation Order 2002 as meaning the substoichiometric oxidation or steam reformation of a substance to produce a gaseous mixture containing two or all of the following substances: oxides of carbon, methane and hydrogen.

Gershon Review : Sir Peter Gershon's efficiency review took place in 2004 to inform Spending Review 2004. The review makes a number of recommendations to increase efficiency and puts targets on central and local government to drive out quantifiable efficiencies including through joint working.

GIS : Geographical Information System - a computer mapping system that links databases of geographically based information to maps that display the information.

GONE : Government Office North East.

Green waste : Vegetation and plant waste from household gardens and public parks and gardens.

Greenhouse Gases : GHG - the basket of six greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs), per fluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).

Haz : Hazardous (waste).

Hazardous Waste : Defined in the Landfill Regulations as any waste defined in Article 1 (4) of Directive 91/689/EEC on hazardous waste.

HH : Household (waste).

Home composting : Compost can be made at home from garden, kitchen and other wastes (e.g. 'bulking' agents such as shredded paper) using a traditional compost heap, a purpose-designed container, or a wormery.

Household Waste : Includes waste from household collection rounds (waste within Schedule 1 of the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992), waste from services such as street sweeping, bulky waste collection, hazardous household waste collection, litter collections, household clinical waste collection and separate garden waste collection (waste within Schedule 2 of the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992), waste from Civic Amenity sites and wastes separately collected for recycling or composting through bring/drop schemes, kerbside schemes and at civic amenity sites.

Incineration : This is the controlled burning of waste, either to reduce its volume or its toxicity, whose current emission standards are very high. Ash residues can either be recycled or landfilled.

Industrial Waste : Waste from any factory and from any premises occupied by an industry (excluding mines and quarries).

Inert Waste : Defined in the Landfill Directive as: 'waste that does not undergo any significant physical, chemical or biological transformations'. Inert waste will not dissolve, burn or otherwise physically or chemically react, biodegrade or adversely affect other matter with which it comes into contact in a way likely to give rise to environmental pollution or harm human health. The total leachability and pollutant content of the waste and the ecotoxicity of the leachate must be
insignificant, and in particular not endanger the quality of surface water and/or groundwater. The current use of 'inert waste' in UK legislation is that for the Landfill Tax. Waste that is considered 'inactive' (or inert) as listed in the Landfill Tax (Qualifying Material) Order 1996 is subject to are reduced rate of tax. The inactive wastes in the Order are wastes that are either wholly inactive or where the amount of active material is so small as not to present a threat to the environment.

IPPC : Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control - UK Directive.

IPPC : EU 'Integrated Pollution Prevention & Control' Directive.

IT : Information Technology.

Kerbside Collection : Any regular collections of recyclables from premises, including collections from commercial or industrial premises as well as from households. Excludes services delivered on demand.

LA : Local Authority.

Land Raising : Waste spread and covered above ground, see Landfilling.

Landfill Sites : Recognised by Government, as those operating sites that are licensed under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 or permitted under the PPC regime as at 16 July 2001. Any areas of land in which waste is deposited. Landfill sites are often located in disused mines or quarries. In areas where they are limited or no ready made voids exist, the practice of land raising is sometimes carried out, where waste is deposited above ground and the landscape is contoured. The Landfill Directive definition of a landfill site is: a waste disposal site for the deposit of the waste onto or into land (i.e. underground), including: internal waste disposal sites (i.e. a landfill where a producer of waste is carrying out its own waste disposal at the place of production), and a permanent site (i.e. more than one year) which is used for the temporary storage of waste, but excluding facilities where waste is unloaded in order to permit its preparation for further transport for recovery, treatment or disposal elsewhere, and storage of waste prior to recovery or treatment for a period less that three years as a general rule, or storage of waste prior to disposal for a period less than one year. The (controlled) waste inputs may be municipal, industrial, commercial, or agricultural in origin or arising from construction and demolition activity. They are classed as either inert, biodegradable (active) or hazardous under the Waste Framework Directive (75/442/EEC).

LASU : Local Authority Support Unit.

LATS : Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme.

Leachate : Liquid emissions through groundwater pathways.

M & Q : Mines & Quarries.

Materials Reclamation Facility (MRF) : Facility used to sort waste and separate out recyclable fractions for subsequent processing. Recyclables are segregated by means of manual sorting on conveyor belts and mechanical processes (such as MME).

MBT : Mechanical Biological Treatment.

Mechanised Metal Extraction (MME) : The mechanical extraction of ferrous and non-ferrous metals from waste. This includes magnetic extraction and eddy current separation, but does not include hand-sorting.

Mines and Quarrying Waste : Includes materials such as overburden, rock interbedded with mineral, and residues left over from initial processing of the extracted material.

MSW : Municipal Solid Waste.

Municipal Waste : Defined by the EPA 1990 and Controlled Waste Regulation 1992, this includes household waste and any other wastes collected by a Waste Collection Authority, or its agents, such as municipal parks and gardens waste, beach cleansing waste, commercial or industrial waste and waste resulting from the clearance of fly-tipped materials.

MWMS : Municipal Waste Management Strategy.

NERF : Noth East Recycling Forum.

NGO : Non Governmental Organisation .

NGR : National Grid Reference.

Non-Haz : Non-hazardous (waste).

Non-Hazardous Waste : Waste that is not on the Hazardous Waste List, and includes municipal waste and inert waste.

NWAI : National Waste Awareness Initiative.

ODPM : Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

OJEU : Official Journal of the European Union.

PAS : EA's new 'Permitting Administration System'.

PC : Personal Computer.

PFI : Private Finance Initiative.

PI : EA's 'Pollution Inventory' system.

PPC : Pollution Prevention and Control - regime established by the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999.

PPC : Pollution Prevention & Control regulation.

PPG : Planning Policy Guidance.

PPG : Planning Policy Guidance.

PPS : Planning Policy Statement.

Producer Responsibility : This is about producers and others involved in the distribution and sale of goods, taking greater responsibility for recovery of those goods at the end of the products life.

Proximity Principle : Dealing with waste as near as practicable to its place of production.

Putrescible : Organic material with a tendency to decay, eg kitchen waste.

Pyrolysis : Defined in the Renewable Obligation Order 2002 as meaning the thermal degradation of a substance in the absence of any oxidising agent (other than that which forms part of the substance itself) to produce char and one or both of gas and liquid.

R & D (codes) : Recovery & Disposal codes (as set out in the WFD).

RATS : EA's existing waste management compliance system.

RCV : Refuse collection vehicle.

RCV : Refuse Collection Vehicle.

RDF : Refuse Derived Fuel.

Recovery : Recovery is defined in Waste Strategy 2000 as meaning obtaining value from waste through reuse; recycling; composting; other means of material recovery (such as anaerobic digestion); or energy recovery.

Recycling : Involves the reprocessing of waste material, either into the same product or a different one. Many non-hazardous wastes such as paper, glass, cardboard, plastics and scrap metals can be recycled.

Reduction : Reduction or minimisation can be accomplished through reviewing the production processes as to optimise utilisation of raw (and secondary) materials and re-circulation processes. This may lower disposal costs and the usage for raw materials and energy. Also householders can reduce waste by reusing products and buying goods with reduced packaging.

Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) : A process whereby municipal waste is compressed into pellets, which are then used as a solid fuel supplement in a power station. The pellets typically have a calorific value of about half that of coal.

REGIS : EA's existing waste management licensing system.

REL : Rear End Loader.

Renewables : These are certificates issued when electricity is generated from Obligation renewable sources. Under the Renewables Obligation Order Certificates (ROCs) 2002, only plants that generate electricity from biomass will be eligible although the biomass may be waste.

Reuse : The commercial sector can reuse products designed to be used a number of times, such as reusable packaging. Householders can buy refillable containers, or re-use plastic bags. Reuse contributes to sustainable development and can save raw materials, energy and transport costs.

RGO's : Regional Government Offices.

ROC : Renewables Obligation Certificate.

RPG : Regional Planning Guidance.

RSS : Regional Spatial Strategy.

RTAB : Regional Technical Advisory Boards.

SA : Sustainability Appraisal .

SEA : Strategic Environmental Assessment.

SIC : UK Standard Industrial Classification (of Economic Activities).

Toxic Waste : Waste producing toxins that are hazardous to avians and mammals.

UA : Unitary Authority.

UDP : Unitary Development Plan.

Unitary Authority (UA) : A local authority that has the responsibilities of both Waste Collection and Waste Disposal Authorities.

WAMITAB : Waste Management Industry Training and Advisory Board.

Waste : This wide-ranging term encompassing most unwanted materials was defined by the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Waste includes any scrap material, effluent or unwanted surplus substance or article that requires to be disposed of because it is broken, worn out, contaminated or otherwise spoiled. Explosives and radioactive wastes are excluded. It is defined in Directive 75/442/EEC as 'any substance or object in the categories set out in Annex I [of that Directive] which the holder discards or intends or is required to discard'.

Waste arisings : This is the amount of waste produced in a given area during a given period of time.

Waste Collection Authority (WCA) : A local authority charged with the collection of waste from each household in its area on a regular basis. Can also collect, if requested, commercial and industrial wastes from the private sector.

Waste Disposal Authority (WDA) : A local authority charged with providing disposal sites to which it directs the Waste Collection Authorities for the disposal of their controlled wastes, and for providing Civic Amenity facilities.

Waste Hierarchy : The waste hierarchy, introduced by the EU Waste Framework Directive, is an abstract framework that prioritises the options for waste management. It represents a sliding scale starting with the most sustainable option (reduction) and ending with the least sustainable option (disposal):
- reduction;
- re-use;
- recovery (i.e. recycling, composting and energy recovery);
- disposal

Waste Management Licences : Issued under sections 35 and 36 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The prime objectives of licensing are identified as prevention of pollution of the environment, prevention of harm to human health, and prevention of serious detriment to the amenities of the locality. The license deals with types and quantities of waste, technical requirements, security precautions, disposal site and treatment methods. It will also reference the Working Plan for a site. This will deal with details of the infrastructure, descriptions of the waste management processes to be carried out on the site and details of the pollution control measures and monitoring. For landfill sites, it will include the operator's plans for the management of gas and leachate, and for capping and restoration.

WasteDataFlow (WDF) : The new government quarterly web-based system for local authority waste data reporting.

WCA : Waste Collection Authority.

WDA : Waste Disposal Authority.

WDF : WasteDataFlow.

WEEE : Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment.

WET : Waste and Emissions Trading Act.

WFD : Waste Framework Directive.

WIP : Waste Implementation Programme.

WLP : Waste Local Plan.

WRAG : Waste Regional Action Group.

WRAP : Waste and Resources Action Programme.