asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether municipal waste disposal sites in England and Wales have received chemical wastes from Monsanto; if so, how many such sites there are; and whether these sites include Bradford, Milton Keynes and Abergavenny. [HL2532]

Wastes are categorised as hazardous, non-hazardous or inert. Specific waste streams are then sub-categorised using the European Waste Catalogue. The term “chemical waste” is not a category that is currently in use.

The Environment Agency authorises waste types that are appropriate for landfilling but does not normally authorise individual and specific waste sources. The Environment Agency is therefore not able to state categorically which of 1,500-plus operational and closed landfill sites (including Bradford, Milton Keynes and Abergavenny) in England and Wales have received chemical waste from Monsanto.

Consignment notes held by waste management facilities would record the source of the waste. Prior to 2005, the Environment Agency was sent copies of these consignment notes, but the cost of extracting the required information from these records would be disproportionate. The Environment Agency retains these records for four years, so would not be able to provide a full account of wastes deposited by Monsanto even if data were readily available.