The management of waste containing Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) has become a much more complex issue over the last three years as Environment Agency analysis has led to significant restrictions on the use of WEEE and more recently, fabric covered seating.
The POPs controls originate from the Stockholm Convention which led to the phasing out of high-risk POPs and increasing restrictions on threshold levels for the use of waste. A Basel Convention Conference of the Parties in May will be assessing the need for revised POPs levels and in anticipation of this, Defra has launched a consultation on how the UK should take this forward with responses required by 27th April.
It should be noted that the EU has already implemented onerous new regulations to reduce allowable POPs levels in waste recycling which come into force in June. This could well impact on those that either export plastic waste to the EU or import from the EU, especially PVC.