Large rechargeable electric cells.

Acetic acid-generating micro-organisms.

A hard plastic used for internal car trim.

Formal documentation of statute law in the United Kingdom.

Wastes that undergo significant physical, chemical or biological transformations when deposited in a waste landfill.

Relating to or requiring free oxygen.

A process that depends on micro-organisms which require free oxygen or air for their metabolism.

Normally loose sand or stone material, often used to make cement or in construction in general (such as road resurfacing). Primary or virgin aggregate is newly extracted material. Secondary aggregate is material that has been used previously and recycled or recovered.

Mixing two or more metals together.

Brown asbestos.

Living or taking place in the absence of free oxygen.

The biological breakdown of organic material in the absence of oxygen.

A process that depends on micro-organisms that do not require, or require the absence of, free oxygen or air for their metabolism.

Usually referred to as "waste arisings", it means the amount of waste generated, or entering the waste management regime.

A fibrosis or scarring of the lungs caused by high asbestos inhalation.

A system of sterilisation using steam under pressure.

Mixture of raw materials ready for fusion into glass.

A baseline level, against which any subsequent results or figures can be compared. Often used as a standard or starting point for legislative targets relating to environmental performance: For example, the European Landfill Directive uses 1995 landfill figures as a baseline.

A mixture of liquid hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum.

Performance standard applied under IPC, which requires consideration of the BPEO as well as the cost of applying the best available techniques in relation to both the industry sector concerned and the degree of environmental protection achieved.

Procedure establishing the management option that most benefits or imposes the least damage to the environment, at acceptable cost, both in the long and short term.

The process that replaces compulsory competitive tendering, the procedure by which local authorities contract service provision.

The uptake and storage of increasing quantities of substances by living tissue.

Susceptible to degradation, usually by micro-organisms, leading to the release of heat, carbon dioxide and organic residues, as well as methane.

A biological reactor where polluted air can be biologically treated by passing it through a packed bed of compost, wood chips, activated carbon etc., in which micro-organisms can absorb and degrade vapour pollutants.

Gas produced by the decomposition of any biodegradable materials, especially from landfill sites. Often used as a fuel source for energy production.

A biological agent that is hazardous to human health.

Relating to bitumen, the black viscous mixture of hydrocarbons used for road surfacing and roofing.

Foam materials containing CFCs used in fridges as a coolant.

Fine ash.

Found in plastic casings. When subjected to heat in the recycling process some of them form potentially dangerous dioxins and furans. PBDEs and PBBs are of particular concern (ICER 2000).

A bin used for the separate doorstep collection of biodegradable waste, usually for composting.

Large electrical and electronic items such as TVs, video and audio equipment.

Site where use and redevelopment is complicated by past use.

Containment where an impermeable wall is built to retain water or contamination.

A substance that encourages the growth of cancer.

Positively charged ions.

The main constituent of plant cell walls.

Hydrocarbon compound of fluorine and chlorine, which when released into the atmosphere destroys the ozone layer.

White asbestos.

A site provided by the local authority for the public to dispose of household waste that cannot be collected by normal services.

Any waste which consists wholly or partly of: blood or other bodily fluids; drugs or other pharmaceutical products; excretions; human or animal tissue; swabs or dressings; and syringes, needles or other sharp instruments which unless made safe may be hazardous to anybody who comes in contact with it.

The process by which a liquid changes to a semi-solid mass.

The disposal of more than one category of waste in the same landfill site, usually a range of industrial wastes with biodegradable municipal wastes, such that the industrial wastes undergo gradual transformation into less hazardous forms.

Comingled waste is unsorted waste. This can be either unsorted recyclable material, such as glass, cans, paper or general waste. Often used in conjunction with descriptions of MRFs.

The authority which an EU Member State designates as being responsible for performing the duties arising from a European legislative instrument i.e. a directive or regulations.

Stabilised residue produced by the aerobic biological degradation of organic material in waste, often used as a fertilizer for growing plants.

A process for ensuring that the local authority provides an efficient waste disposal service that takes into account value for money, as well as environmental and public health factors.

A standard form used to pre-notify the Environment Agency of the removal of special waste from a site.

As defined by the Environmental Protection Act 1990, any waste arising from industrial, commercial or domestic sources, including sewage sludge disposed of to landfill and by incineration (but not including waste from mines, quarries or agricultural premises).

Convert raw materials into packaging.

Assessing the full effects of a products life-span from manufacture to disposal.

Blue asbestos.

Limited immunity from prosecution given to certain arms of the state in specific circumstances.

The branch of physics dealing with very low temperatures.

Recycled broken glass or waste glass used in glass-making.

The process of protein decomposition to form ammonia, carboxylic acids and carbon dioxide.

Design of products to aid the disassembly process so that components can be reused or recovered at the end of the products' life.

Design of products to maximise the recycling value of the product at the end of its life.

A systematic consideration of design issues related to environmental and human health over the life cycle of the product (Fiksel 1993).

Planning authorities' document setting out the strategic and forward planning of land use.

Stabilised residue produced by the anaerobic digestion of waste within an enclosed controlled reactor.

Various organic pollutants resulting from the manufacture of certain herbicides and bactericides, and often arising as a consequence of the incomplete combustion of waste. Dioxins are extremely toxic, persistent and bioaccumulative.

The amount of waste diverted from landfill/incineration, to be recovered through recycling, composting or energy from waste.

Legislatory concept ensuring that waste is safely stored, handled and transported by authorised operators, and requiring that waste producers pass waste on to such operators.

Designing products in line with environmental concerns.

Conductors through which electric current flows.

Stationary electric charges as opposed to electric currents.

An external substance that causes adverse health effects in an organism or its offspring, as a result of interfering with endocrine function (the circulation of hormones in the bloodstream).

The process of using waste to produce energy, either directly through incineration, or via gas collection, through the capture of methane from landfill sites.

Suspension and transport of matter.

Organisation registered by ENTRUST to receive money from landfill operators to carry out environmental projects.

Standards set for the quality of a particular body of water, bearing in mind its ability to dilute effluent, whether or not it is already polluted and the use to which it is put (e.g. abstraction of drinking water).

Main form of secondary legislation of the European Union (EU), setting objectives and deadlines, which should be implemented by Member States.

Form of secondary legislation of the EU, which is directly applicable and therefore needs no UK enabling legislation.

The Executive of the European Union (EU), responsible for implementing EU policies and drawing up proposals for legislation.

Those chemicals listed in the European Inventory of Existing Commercial chemical Substances (EINECS) which includes over 100,000 that were notified as being on the EU market between January 1971 and September 1981.

A chemical process to convert plastic waste into its original hydrocarbon state for reintroduction into the plastics process.

Iron or a metal mixture containing iron.

The lowest temperature at which vapour, as from oil, will ignite with a flash.

The deliberate and illegal dumping of rubbish in an unauthorised place.

A gas used in solution as a preservative for biological material.

Chemically complex glasses used to introduce soluble or unstable materials into glazes or enamels.

A group of organic compounds, which can be found combined with dioxins. Like dioxins, furans can often arise as a consequence of the incomplete combustion of waste.

Lamps which work by electrical energy being discharged in a gas. Gas discharge lamps include fluorescent tubes and street lights.

A reaction that creates gaseous fuels as a result of combining hot materials containing organic matter with air, steam or oxygen.

Government document containing policy proposals to be discussed by Parliament.

Total value of goods and services produced by a country in one year.

A soft white or grey mineral consisting of hydrated calcium sulphate, used to make plaster of Paris and in the building industry.

Any of the various gaseous compounds of carbon, bromine and other halogens used in fire extinguishers.

Controlled waste that is special as defined in the Special Waste Regulations and under the Hazardous Waste Directive. Refers to waste containing a hazardous substance in a quantity liable to cause harm to humans and the environment if improperly handled, treated or disposed of.

A metal of relatively high density or atomic weight with potential for toxicity. The most widespread of concern to human health are mercury, cadmium and lead.

Diverse in character or content.

A coating that is required to meet very exacting standards, over and above that required for normal materials (e.g. exposure to severe weather conditions).

Is similar in constitution to normal household waste (for example paper, food, packaging).

Main body of the vehicle.

Low concentrations of less than 1mg/kg.

Non-reactive material.

Those wastes that do not undergo any significant physical, chemical or biological transformations when deposited in a waste landfill.

Framework for the management of pollution, the basis of which is to view the environmental impacts of a process on the air, water and land environment as a whole.

The collection of separated household recyclable materials, usually in a box or bag, from residential areas.

The process of burying waste in specially constructed pits, or landfill sites.

A European Directive that places set limits on the amount of biodegradable waste being sent to landfill.

The tax imposed on waste disposal authorities and groups that dispose of controlled waste at landfill sites. Introduced on 1 October 1996 at £7 per tonne. The current level is £11 per tonne.

A donation made to a registered Environmental Body by a landfill site operator, which can be used specifically for the funding of approved projects. Landfill site operators can claim back 90% of the donated amount from their landfill tax liability.

The processes and technology used and associated with landfill construction and maintenance.

Aggregates that have been removed directly from the ground, and are not recycled or secondary.

Noxious fluid produced in landfill sites by the percolation of liquid through the waste. Leachate is systematically drawn off and either treated or reapplied to the top of the site.

The process of making laws and the laws so made.

Systematic approach analysing the environmental impact of a product 'from cradle to grave'.

A substance containing esters or fatty acids, which are important structural materials in living organisms.

A portable fuel - composed primarily of propane and butane liquefied under pressure or refrigeration - mainly used as an automotive fuel or chemical feedstock, or for heating/cooking.

Local authority adopted policy regarding sustainable management of resources in the community.

The governing body of a district, county etc.

A separate waste disposal company organised by a local authority.

An aromatic gum or resin exuded from the bark of a tree used in making varnish and chewing gum.

Specialised plant that separates, processes and stores recyclables which have been collected either separately from waste (a 'clean' MRF) or co-mingled with it ('dirty' MRF). Recycled materials are then sent on to reprocessors and any residual material not suitable for processing goes for disposal.

A cancer of the inner lining of the chest or abdominal wall (through low level exposure).

Waste containing high levels of metals, including copper, lead, zinc.

Methane-generating micro-organisms.

A unit of length of one millionth of a metre (or one thousandth of a millimetre).

The cultivation of a single crop on a broad scale.

Packaging which is designed for reuse as opposed to one-trip packaging.

Waste collected and disposed of by or on behalf of a local authority, consisting mainly of household and commercial waste.

A substance that produces mutations.

The dilution of acidic and alkaline wastes.

Those chemicals listed on the EU market since September 1981. Tests must be conducted on new substances and results notified to the authority before they can be commercialised.

Not In My Back Yard. A term originally coined with the media exposure of road protests. The tendency for residents and communities to support the general principle of development, such as landfill sites and incinerators, but object if they are to be built in their locality.

A metal or mixture of metals not containing iron.

Provision made under the Electricity Act 1989 requiring all regional electricity companies to take a certain proportion of electricity generated from non-fossil fuel (i.e. waste, wind, wave and hydro-power).

Any non-profit, voluntary citizens' group which is organised on a local, national or international level.

Someone who does not recycle any material.

A system used in composting, whereby the green waste is left in long 'open-air' piles that are regularly turned to aid the composting process.

Organic compounds of hydrogen and carbon, including fuels derived from organic matter deposited over a geological time-scale (e.g. natural gas).

A naturally occurring molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms held together by the bonding of one oxygen atom to another.

A certificate issued by an accredited reprocessor for packaging material that has been recovered or recycled.

Pack products into packaging.

The supreme legislative authority in the United Kingdom.

Air-borne particles often associated with vehicle exhaust fumes.

Leachate that has permeated into the soil and pervious rocks, and is perched above the natural level of underground water.

A toxic white crystalline solid obtained from coal tar.

A substance which emits light when excited by radiation.

Breakdown of a substance using light.

A substance which is added to plastics for pliability.

Principle stating that those who contaminate the environment (i.e. by producing waste) should pay the full costs of their actions.

An aromatic hydrocarbon which is highly toxic and liable to persist in the environment and accumulate in living organisms. Also has possible carcinogenic properties.

The collective name given to additives to soften rubber that are potentially harmful compounds in the environment. Often arise as a product of the incomplete combustion of waste, and includes substances such as benzo-a-pyrene, anthracene and chrysene, which are common ingredients of smoke.

The chains of molecules that form individual types of plastic.

Principle that waste production should be minimised and avoided where possible.

see Aggregate.

A battery that cannot be recharged.

Metal that has been extracted from the ground for use.

Initial removal of solid matter from sewage through screening and settlement.

A system of funding large-scale capital inv.htmlent projects, such as waste management facilities, that has been set up by the Government. Government provides capital to allow inv.htmlent in new facilities, private companies then provide resources to operate and manage the facility.

In this sense, the purchasing of recycled goods and materials by both the public and private sectors.

Initiative that seeks to ensure that industry assumes an increased share of the responsibility for the wastes arising from its products (a direct application of the polluter pays principle).

Taking responsibility for the full life cycle of a product.

Principle that waste should be disposed of as closely as possible to where it is produced.

Sector of the economy involved in providing government services.

Any waste that can be composted. Usually garden/park (green) waste and kitchen scraps. May also include crop waste from agriculture and paper.

The production of gaseous fuels by heating hot materials containing organic matter in the absence of air.

Form of voting when a specific percentage of the votes must be cast in favour for a decision to be passed.

A class of radioactive substances that may have potential carcinogenic effects.

Recycled material that will be used to form new products. This material will normally have undergone some form of treatment e.g. plastic pellets, produced from collected plastic bottles, to be used as feedstock for new products.

The credits paid by local authorities to schemes collecting household waste specifically for recycling.

Document produced by Waste Collection Authority (WCA) that details the arrangements that are appropriate for dealing with waste by separating, bailing or otherwise packaging it for the purpose of recycling it.

Furnace waste.

A form of delegated legislation, setting out the detail of statute law.

Replacement of the thick moulded part of a vehicle tyre for gripping the road (tread).

A process to reuse tyres by removing and replacing the tyre tread.

Process using water or a solution for purifying gases.

Material such as crushed stone or gravel that has been used previously and recycled or recovered.

A battery that can be recharged a finite number of times.

Metals that have been recovered or recycled for use in the production of more metal.

Removal of dissolved organic matter from sewage.

The body responsible for dealing with sewage e.g. water treatment works.

An organic liquid that evaporates easily at normal temperature and pressure, giving rise to volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions (ETBPP 1996a).

A structured way of working to reduce solvent consumption and emissions (ETBPP 1996b).

Legal definition of hazardous waste making it subject to specific rules about its storage, transport and disposal. A waste is classed as 'special' if it has any of a number of hazardous properties which are defined in certain legislative instruments (i.e. the Special Waste Regulations and the Hazardous Waste Directive).

1200 x 1000mm and 1200 x 800mm.

Law enacted by a legislative body, i.e. Act of Parliament.

Form of legislation where the power to make specific rules and regulations is delegated from an Act of Parliament, usually to a minister.

Frame or similar for keeping articles off the floor, in this context, while waiting to be packed.

Concept that aims to balance continued economic development and achievement of higher standards of living with the need to protect and enhance the environment, both for today's society and for future generations.

Applying the relationship between heat and other forms of energy involved in physical and chemical processes.

A material that repeatedly softens or melts when heated and hardens when cooled. Thermoplastic polymers consist of long polymer chains that are not connected to one another, i.e. not cross-linked. Thermoplastics include polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, acrylics, nylons, spandex-type polyurethanes, polyamides, polycarbonates, fluorocarbons and cellulosics.

A material that can not be softened on heating. In a thermosetting polymer, the long polymer chains are joined to one another, i.e. cross-linked during fabrication through the use of chemicals, heat or radiation; this process is called curing or vulcanization. Important thermosets include alkyds, phenolics, ureas, melamines, epoxies, polyesters, silicones, rubbers and polyurethanes.

Steel-grey dense metallic element with a high melting point.

A kerbside collection scheme that uses two bins to collect recoverable materials; usually one bin is for dry recyclables, the second for biodegradable waste to be composted.

A small part of the radiation from the sun which can cause skin cancer.

Light measured at a frequency between 280-320 nanometres.

Local authorities that have the responsibility for both waste collection and disposal.

A solvent-free wood treatment.

A method of charging related to volume/type of waste.

The ability of a material to be penetrated or pervaded by a substance (typically a liquid or gas) in the vertical plane.

Raw materials that have not undergone any secondary treatment.

Quality or degree of fluidity (of a liquid).

All man made organic compounds (other than methane) that readily evaporate into the atmosphere. Includes organic solvents (e.g. white spirit) used in paint.

Readiness of a substance to evaporate at normal temperatures.

The process of treating rubber or rubber like material with sulphur at a high temperature to increase its strength.

Data relating to estimates of waste generation.

License required under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 by anyone transferring or collecting waste.

Authority responsible for the collection of household and commercial waste within a given area.

Local authority with responsibility for arranging the disposal of waste collected.

Document produced by the WRA setting out provisions regarding the arrangements needed for the treatment and disposal of household, industrial and commercial waste.

Conceptual framework of waste management options, with reduction being the preferred option, followed by reuse, recovery and finally disposal.

Detailed planning document giving detailed consideration of the preferred location of plants and facilities for waste treatment and disposal.

Any mineral-based lubricating or industrial oil which has become unfit for the use for which it was originally intended.

The authority responsible for granting waste management licences, as well as assessing plans for the collection of controlled waste i.e. the Environment Agency in England and Wales.

Large appliances such as cookers, fridges and washing machines, from domestic and commercial/industrial applications.

Official Government report, setting out the Government's policy on a matter that will come before Parliament.

The theoretical amount individuals would be willing to pay to avoid a disbenefit.