Who is allowed to deal with your waste?
You can arrange for your waste to be taken away by a waste carrier or you can take it to a waste management site yourself.
Waste carriers
If you arrange for your waste to be taken away by a waste carrier, you must check that they are authorised to take your waste.
You must ensure that anyone removing waste from your business is one of the following:
- a registered carrier of controlled waste
- exempt from registration as a carrier of controlled waste
- a waste collection authority in England and Wales
- a district council in Northern Ireland
- a waste disposal authority in Scotland.
A registered carrier should be able to produce a current certificate of registration or a certified copy if you ask to see it. This certificate will show when their registration expires. Be aware that a photocopy does not provide evidence of registration – you should ask to see the original or a certified copy. You can take a photocopy for your records, date it and write on it that you have seen the original.
You can also check the public registers held by your environmental regulators to see if your carrier is registered.
- Environment Agency: Public registers
- NIEA: Registered waste carriers and transporters
- SEPA: Registered carriers, brokers and professional collectors and transporters
Waste carriers do not have to register for certain activities. If your carrier claims to be exempt you must ask for proof.
To show that you have tried to prevent the illegal treatment of waste it is a good idea to find out where your waste carrier takes your waste and to check that the site is suitably licensed. If you do not obtain proof that your waste carrier is properly authorised you will be committing an offence.
Waste management sites
You can take most waste produced by your own business directly to a waste management site, without registering as a waste carrier. You still have to comply with your duty of care and complete a waste transfer note.
However, if you carry your own building or demolition waste you will need to register with your environmental regulator.
You must ensure that your waste is disposed of at a suitably licensed or exempt facility. You are responsible for making sure your waste is finally and properly disposed of or fully recovered.
You must ensure that anyone who treats, stores or disposes of your business waste has an appropriate environmental permit, waste management licence or exemption certificate.
When you look at an environmental permit, a waste management licence, an exemption or PPC permit, always check that the site is authorised to take all the types of waste materials that you are planning to send there.
If you return containers or other materials to a supplier, check if they are being reprocessed or disposed of. If they are being reprocessed or disposed of, check that your supplier is a registered waste carrier. Ask to see their certificate of registration.
You should also check that they hold an environmental permit (England and Wales) or a waste management licence (Northern Ireland and Scotland) if applicable. Ask to see a copy of the permit, licence or exemption certificate, or check with your environmental regulator.
You should repeat these checks regularly, as registrations and authorisations can expire or be revoked.
- What is the duty of care?
- Does the duty of care apply to you?
- Duty of care – what do you have to do?
- Storing and disposing of your waste responsibly
- Who is allowed to deal with your waste?
- Records for receiving and transferring waste – waste transfer notes
- Further information on the duty of care
- Duty of care legislation
