The EPA 1990 replaced previous controls in the Control of Pollution Act 1974.

It introduced changes in both the waste management licensing system and the bodies responsible for waste regulation and disposal.

Local authorities remain the key enforcement bodies, but with extra demands on the waste disposal industry and all producers or handlers
of waste.

It is no longer possible for producers of waste to rid themselves of the waste simply by handing it over to another.

There is now a "Duty Of Care" that applies to anybody who carries, keeps, treats, or disposes of waste, or who acts as a third party and arranges matters such as imports or disposal.

They must ensure that nobody in the chain commits an offence regarding waste.

Check out Environmental Law Guide from DEFRA