Waste
Disposal of International Catering Waste on the Manchester Ship Canal
This note is to inform Port Operators and those who are involved in the disposal of international catering waste of the law relating to this matter and how this should be complied with.
Why is International Catering Waste Controlled?
International catering waste is controlled in order to protect public and animal health. This waste has the potential to spread exotic notifiable diseases (such as foot and mouth) if farmed or feral animals are able to come into contact with it. The legislation aims to minimise this risk.
What is International Catering Waste?
ICW is food waste from international transport vehicles including ships. It includes all food waste from ships travelling internationally and within EU territory.
Waste is considered to be ICW if a vessel travels outside of the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man even if the food was purchased and stocked up within the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man.
To avoid confusion on this matter, ALL catering waste landed on the Manchester Ship Canal is considered to be international catering waste and therefore should be treated in the manner set out in this guidance document.
How should international catering waste be disposed of?
International catering waste is a Category 1 by-product. These products represent the highest risk of disease if they enter the human or animal food chain.
ICW can only be disposed of by:
- Processing used cooking oil into bio-diesel in an approved plant
- combusting it for use as fuel, at an approved plant, with or without prior processing
- incinerating or co-incinerating it without prior processing and following processing and permanent marking by use of glyceryl tri-heptanoate (GTH)
- disposal by pressure sterilisation and deep burial in an authorised landfill
- disposal by deep burial in an authorised landfill (no pre-treatment is required)
ICW must not be used in biogas or composting plants.
Records and copies of commercial documents must be kept for inspection by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
How should ICW be handled?
International catering waste must be kept separate and identifiable and must be marked: ‘Category 1 By-Product for Disposal Only’.
Once offloaded from the ship the waste must be kept in a dedicated, covered, leak proof skip or other suitable container. The skip or container should be clearly identified as containing: ‘Category 1 By-Product for Disposal Only’.
Whilst not required by the law, it is recommended that these bins are also labelled ‘International Catering Waste’ to avoid any confusion.
It is a requirement of the law that skips or suitable containers are covered. It is therefore essential that skips are not allowed to be overfilled as this will prevent the lids from closing effectively. It is an offence for skips or suitable containers not to be covered.
Recycling ICW and other materials
Items must be separated for recycling before they are placed in a waste bin or plastic bag.
Items which have been mixed with pots of honey, milk or milk products which were treated in a plant outside of the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man cannot be recycled.
Other items can be recycled as long as they have not been mixed with catering waste. This includes:
- confectionery
- crisps and nuts
- drinks not containing milk
What are the responsibilities of ships masters?
The ships master is considered to be the waste producer for the purposes of the law and is therefore responsible for ensuring that international catering waste is disposed of correctly. Where a port or marina does not have waste reception facilities, it is the responsibility of the master to ensure that all catering waste is disposed of in accordance with the regulations.
If the facilities provided for international catering waste are found to be full or locked the Port Operator/Port Health Authority should be contacted immediately. It is an offence for international catering waste to be stored anywhere other than the dedicated skip or container.
Who is responsible for disposal of international catering waste once it is offloaded?
Once international catering waste has been offloaded from a ship it is the responsibility of the individual Wharf Operator. The Wharf Operator is responsible for ensuring that waste is collected, stored and taken to an approved landfill site, rendering plant or incinerator by a registered waste carrier using the methods prescribed by law.
The regulations require that a clear verifiable audit trail exists from the point of production to the point of disposal. All records must be retained for at least two years.
Who is responsible for enforcing the law relating to international catering waste?
Manchester Port Health Authority have powers to enforce the requirements of the regulations for the movement of international catering waste from ship to storage on shore. Local authorities have the powers to enforce the requirements of the regulation for the movement of international catering waste from the port to final disposal.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency monitors compliance with the regulations for the movement of waste from ship to shore and has responsibility for approving landfill site to receive international catering waste.