Waste

Lawrence Graham has a leading team of lawyers who specialise in representing and advising businesses active in the waste sector; including waste management companies, waste producers, investors, technology providers and local authorities.

We have excellent industry experience, and focus as much on commercial and practical areas as on complex technical issues.

Our expertise covers all relevant legal services, ranging from advice on day to day business issues through to representing clients in relation to major waste infrastructure projects.

Waste

Our legal services include advising on/assisting with:

• Waste infrastructure projects - including funding arrangements, structures, contractual arrangements, construction, real estate issues, tax, concessions, operations and maintenance
• Local authority waste outsourcing arrangements – including project managing the procurement process, advising on the public procurement regime, assisting with bidder negotiations and selection, and drafting and advising on the commercial contracts, as well as advising private sector bidders on the process
• Regulatory issues – including permitting and environmental issues, producer responsibility, WEEE and RoHS
• Planning matters for new waste disposal facilities
• Financing arrangements and corporate finance advice
• Commercial arrangements
• Other related legal issues – including employment, pensions and tax

Waste

Some examples of our work include:

• Advised on the development of the Lakeside Energy from Waste Plant, which at the time was the largest privately operated energy from waste plant in the UK. Members of the team advised on aspects of the construction and engineering documents, complex land leasing structures, O&M contracts, power purchase agreements, grid connectivity documentation, equity and project debt arrangements and planning and environmental issues
• Advised Oxford City Council on the market testing of its waste collection service and on the outsourcing of its waste recycling service to a materials recovery facility (“MRF”)
• Advised East London Waste Authority on shared services options for partnering with a London Borough regarding waste disposal services
• Acted for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on its waste collection and waste disposal contracts
• Advised a major multi-national corporation on the application of the WEEE Directive to its EU operations
• Advised a petrochemicals industry trade association on structuring industry-wide, joint waste collection/recycling arrangements
• Assessed whether a US client was subject to the WEEE Regulations in relation to its operations in the UK
• Advised a multi-national catering client on the waste regulations that apply to the disposal of waste liquids from their premises
• Advised a US engineering company on the procedure to become compliant and whether specific exemptions might apply under the RoHS Regulations
• Advised a UK port operator on duties relating to the storage and transfer of waste at its property
• Conducted full environmental due diligence and interpretation of environmental reports on a number of acquisitions for a range of sites that are all heavily regulated under the Environmental Permitting Regulations
• Advised on the environmental aspects of due diligence for a US energy company purchasing a waste oil storage facility located on the Thames Estuary
• Advised landlords and management companies on health & safety, waste and other regulatory compliance issues for commercial and industrial premises
• Assisted a local authority on the development of its contaminated land strategy and transfer of a number of contaminated properties as part of a LSVT
• Advised administrators on the most appropriate course of action for three companies that had operated landfill sites or recycling centres that had gone into administration. As part of this advice, we assisted on the practicalities of transferring or surrendering the environmental permits for each company

Testimonials