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Identify waste upholstered domestic seating that containsPOPs

Waste domestic seating is any item of seating of a household type from households or businesses that is waste. Upholstered domestic seating may containPOPs. For example:

• sofas
• sofa beds
• armchairs
• recliner chairs (electrical or mechanical)
• kitchen and dining room chairs
• garden furniture
• stools and foot stools
• office chairs that are fire resistant to domestic standards
• futons
• bean bags, floor and sofa cushions
• any other upholstered items that can reasonably be described as a form of seating used by households, and to which relevant fire regulations apply this might include child car seats, highchairs, and benches

This includes any part made of or containing leather, synthetic leather, other fabric, or foam.

The following items of domestic seating are unlikely to containPOPs:

• items that are not upholstered, for example, a wooden chair without a cushioned or textile back, seat, or arms
• deckchairs
• wastes from manufacturing new domestic seating that the manufacturer can show do not to containPOPs

Mattresses, curtains, blinds, beds, and commercial seating of a type not used in the home are not domestic seating and are not covered by this guidance.

Items that are not domestic seating may still contain POPs. Where they do contain POPs you should identify and manage them appropriately, see:

• identify and classify waste containing persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
• manage waste containing persistent organic pollutants (POPs)

Commercial seating is at particular risk of containing POPs and you should consider this as part of your duty of care.

Describe and classify waste domestic seating containingPOPs

In your waste transfer note you must:

• describe the waste as domestic seating waste containingPOPs
• classify it with the list of waste code 20 03 07

You must add this description for waste domestic seating containingPOPswhere it has been mixed with other waste (not containingPOPs). For example, in a skip or bay of bulky household waste.

Although it may contain POPs, waste under a 20 03 07 code is classified as absolute non-hazardous.

You must list the relevant chemicals in the waste transfer note, or provide this information separately, so the recipient is aware of their presence.

POPsand other chemicals that waste domestic seating may contain

Waste upholstered domestic seating often contains one of the followingPOPson the back of the covers and in the foam:

• decabromodiphenyl ether (DecaBDE) the most common
• hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD)
• pentabromodiphenyl ether (PentaBDE)
• tetrabromodiphenyl ether (TetraBDE)

These chemicals may also contaminate lining and wadding in contact with foam or covers.

The following hazardous chemicals are also likely to be present:

• antimony trioxide a carcinogenic synergist often used with DecaBDE
• medium chain chlorinated paraffins often used in synthetic leather to make it flexible

Other flame retardants, and hazardous components of PVC, may also be present. Electrical recliner chairs may contain POPs in plastic components, internal and external cables, and printed circuit boards.

Sort and store waste upholstered domestic seating containingPOPs

You must sort and store waste upholstered domestic seating containingPOPsin a way that prevents:

• damaging it
• release ofPOPs
• contamination with other waste

You must avoid mixing waste upholstered domestic seating containingPOPswith other waste during waste:

• production
• storage
• collection
• treatment

This includes in a:

• skip or container
• bay at a household waste recycling centre (HWRC), transfer station, or treatment site

In exceptional circumstances, you can justify not segregating further where both of these apply:

• you have already taken all reasonable steps
• there are no other alternatives

You must provide evidence to the Environment Agency. However, they may not accept this.

If you do mixPOPswaste with non-POPswaste, you must manage the whole load asPOPswaste until you can separate the upholstered domestic seating. You must destroy thePOPseven if the mixing has diluted thePOPsto below the POPs concentration limit.

You can read guidance on fire prevention plans and managing fire water.

Transporting whole and shredded items of waste upholstered domestic seating

You can collect waste upholstered domestic seating on the same vehicle as other waste items (for example, doorstep bulky waste collection) as long as they are:

• not mixed with other waste
• collected in a way that does not contaminate the other waste (for example compaction)
• separated from the other waste when unloaded from the vehicle

If you use a roadside collection vehicle (RCV) you must:

• collect only waste upholstered domestic seating
• contain any particulates and debris generated during the compaction within the body of the vehicle
• use a vehicle dedicated to the collection of waste upholstered domestic seating only or, where this is not possible, make sure it is cleaned before it is used to collect loads of non-POPs waste

You must unload the RCV in a dedicated bay within a building that is allocated for the waste upholstered domestic seating. A dust suppression system must be in place to contain and control any particulates created when the waste upholstered domestic seating is removed from the RCV and then handled.

If you are transporting waste prepared for destruction you must:

• make sure that the waste is baled, in a sealed container, or within the body of fully enclosed vehicle to contain the waste and prevent release of particulates and debris
• unload the waste within the incinerator building, with a dust suppression system in place to contain and control any particulates created
• use a vehicle dedicated to the collection of this waste only or, where this is not possible, make sure it is cleaned before it is used to collect loads of non-POPs waste

When you clean any vehicle you should use a dry-cleaning method to avoid producing contaminated water. For example using a dedicated vacuum cleaner to remove foam, textiles and particulates from within the vehicle body. The material collected should be sent for destruction using one of the methods for waste upholstered domestic seating containing POPs described in this guide.

Mixed waste and separating whole items of uph

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