Duty of care
What is the waste hierarchy?
The waste hierarchy ranks how waste should be dealt with, in order of preference: prevention, preparing for re-use, recycling, other recovery, and disposal last. Applying it is a legal requirement, not guidance.
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<img src="https://wasteoptix.co.uk/glossary/waste-hierarchy/diagram.svg" alt="waste hierarchy — diagram from WasteOptix" width="880" height="620" loading="lazy">
<figcaption>
<a href="https://wasteoptix.co.uk/glossary/waste-hierarchy">What is the waste hierarchy?</a> — diagram by
<a href="https://wasteoptix.co.uk">WasteOptix</a>
</figcaption>
</figure>Businesses transferring waste are required to confirm they have applied it, which is why a declaration appears on transfer documentation. A declaration made without having considered the options is a false statement rather than a formality.
It applies at the point decisions are made, which is usually before the waste exists. Segregation at source is the single change that moves most material up the hierarchy, and it cannot be done at the tip.
It works downward only as far as is practicable. The requirement is to take reasonable steps rather than to achieve the top tier regardless of cost, but the reasoning is what makes a step reasonable.
What goes wrong in practice
- The declaration signed as boilerplate on every note with no thought behind it.
- Recyclable material contaminated by mixing at source, which forecloses the higher tiers.
- Recycling rates reported without any record of what was actually segregated.