Waste Authorities Defined EPA 1990 s. 30
Defines which public bodies serve as waste regulation, waste disposal, and waste collection authorities under EPA 1990 Part II.
Any reference in this Part to a waste regulation authority— in relation to England ..., is a reference to the Environment Agency; ... in relation to Wales, is a reference to the Natural Resources Body for Wales; and in relation to Scotland, is a reference to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency; and any reference in this Part to the area of a waste regulation authority shall accordingly be taken as a reference to the area over which the Environment Agency , the Natural Resources Body for Wales or the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, as the case may be, exercises its functions or, in the case of any particular function, the function in question. For the purposes of this Part the following authorities are waste disposal authorities, namely— for any non-metropolitan county in England, the county council; in Greater London, the following— for the area of a London waste disposal authority, the authority constituted as the waste disposal authority for that area; for the City of London, the Common Council; for any other London borough, the council of the borough; in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, the following— for the metropolitan district of Wigan, the district council; for all other areas in the county, the authority constituted as the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority; for the metropolitan county of Merseyside, the authority constituted as the Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority; for any district in any other metropolitan county in England, the council of the district; for any county or county borough in Wales, the council of the county or county borough; in Scotland, a council constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 . For the purposes of this Part the following authorities are waste collection authorities— for any district in England . . . not within Greater London, the council of the district; in Greater London, the following— for any London borough, the council of the borough; for the City of London, the Common Council; for the Temples, the Sub-Treasurer of the Inner Temple and the Under Treasurer of the Middle Temple respectively; for any county or county borough in Wales, the council of the county or county borough; in Scotland, a council constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 . In this section references to particular authorities having been constituted as waste disposal . . . are references to their having been so constituted by the Waste Regulation and Disposal (Authorities) Order 1985 made by the Secretary of State under section 10 of the Local Government Act 1985 and the reference to London waste disposal authorities is a reference to the authorities named in Parts I, II , III, IV and V of Schedule 1 to that Order and this section has effect subject to any order made under the said section 10 . . .. In this Part— “ English waste collection authority ” means a waste collection authority whose area is in England; “ English waste disposal authority ” means a waste disposal authority whose area is in England. In this Part “ waste disposal contractor ” means a person who in the course of a business collects, keeps, treats or disposes of waste, being either— a company formed for all or any of those purposes by a waste disposal authority whether in pursuance of section 32 below or otherwise; or either a company formed for all or any of those purposes by other persons or a partnership or an individual; and “ company ” means a company as defined in section 1(1) of the Companies Act 2006 and “ formed ”, in relation to a company formed by other persons, includes the alteration of the company's articles so as to add, remove or alter a statement of the company's objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Text in force at .
Source: legislation.gov.uk — The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk), reproduced under licence Open Government Licence v3.0.
What it actually says
Section 30 establishes which official public bodies hold statutory responsibilities for waste management across England, Wales, and Scotland under Part II of the Act.
It designates environmental bodies as waste regulation authorities, while assigning waste collection and waste disposal duties to specific local councils or statutory joint waste authorities depending on the region and authority structure.
It also defines a waste disposal contractor as an entity carrying out waste operations, including companies set up by local authorities or private businesses.
When it applies
- Determining whether a local district council or a county council is responsible for household waste collection
- Identifying the statutory waste regulation authority when reporting an environmental permit issue in England, Wales, or Scotland
- Checking whether a joint waste authority created under order holds legal status as a waste disposal authority
What this section does not say
- Criminal penalties for illegal fly-tipping, which are covered under section 33
- The statutory duty of care owed by waste producers and handlers, defined under section 34
- Rules and procedure for issuing waste management licences, set out in section 35
Related sections
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This page reproduces the text of EPA 1990 s. 30 in force at the date shown and explains it in general terms. It is not legal advice and takes no account of the circumstances of your case, which can change the answer completely. For a live dispute, for limitation periods, and before taking any step in court, consult a qualified lawyer in England and Wales.