Article 21 of Regulation (EC) 1069/2009
This article outlines how swiftly veterinary waste must be collected, identified and disposed of. This is to protect the health of animals and the public who are in close proximity to your practice.
How swift does the removal of waste need to be? This is left to interpretation. The guidance attached to this article gives two examples: A farmer having fallen stock collected every few days; and a retail shop having a weekly out-of-date food collection.
Animal by-products are to be transported in leak-proof containers. If you have different categories of animal by-product in your vet, you will need containers specific to each category.
More on animal by-product categories.
Duty of Care - Environmental Protection Act 1990, Section 34
Vets are held to the same legislation as other businesses. Therefore, it is time well spent to learn the lengths you should go to in your practice to comply with the Environmental Protection Act.
The Duty of Care section states that your waste on your site is your responsibility at all times. As a veterinary practice, you have a responsibility to:
- Prevent potentially harmful deposit, disposal and treatment of waste
- Make sure any waste companies you work with have the correct authorisation
- Prevent any other person to fail to meet the environmental permit requirement, or a breach of a permit condition
- Describe your waste properly when handed over to a waste disposal service, such as Initial Medical
- Prevent waste escaping from your control and ending up in the natural environment
You can find out more about our the Duty of Care in our blog article.