Hazardous household waste

Many items of waste upholstered household seating contain high levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). These are toxic chemicals that break down slowly and remain in the environment for a long time. These chemicals were used to fireproof covers and foams. The making, selling and use of products containing POPs is now banned.

The law requires that waste containing POPs are destroyed to prevent:

• lasting environmental harm
• impacts on the food chain

As a result, waste containing POPs must be incinerated.

It must not be re-used, recycled or landfilled.

Current advice from the Environment Agency has stated that there is a requirement to separate waste containing POPs:

• at Household Waste Recycling Centres
• when collecting fly-tipping, and
• when collected items through the chargeable bulky waste collection service

This will also mean collecting the waste in a separate vehicle for separate transport.

This means:

• visitors may receive instructions from staff at the Household Waste Recycling Centres to separate bulky waste containing POPs from waste that does not and put these items into separate containers
• delays in clearing fly-tipped waste containing POPs
• if you book a bulky waste collection, there may be further checks. This may result in a delay between different items being collected on the scheduled day of collection