Waste carriers - what you need to do
Waste carriers transport controlled waste, either by road, rail, air, sea or inland waterway.
If you carry waste produced by your own business you don’t usually need to register, unless you produce construction or demolition waste.
What you must do
Register with your environmental regulator
Waste carriers who operate in England, Scotland and Wales must register with either the Environment Agency or SEPA, depending on their principal place of business. A single registration with either agency will cover carriage of waste throughout Great Britain. All waste carriers operating in Northern Ireland must register with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). Registrations last for three years from the date of issue or renewal.
The application forms for registering as a carrier or broker are available from your environmental regulator.
- EA Registration of carriers and brokers
- NIEA: Registration of carriers forms
- SEPA Registration of Waste Carriers and Brokers: Forms
Comply with the duty of care
You have a duty to make sure that waste is handled safely and in accordance with the law.
You must make sure that you only pass waste on to someone that is authorised to take it. If you don’t, and your waste is illegally disposed of, you could be held responsible.
Your environmental regulator maintains a register of carriers and brokers. In England, Scotland and Wales these registers are available to the public for inspection.- Environment Agency - Your Right to Know: Public Registers
- SEPA – Lists of Registered Carriers, Brokers and Professional Collectors and Transporters
Complete waste transfer notes
Complete a waste transfer note before accepting waste. If the waste is classified as hazardous/special waste you need to complete a consignment note instead.
Complete a waste transfer note every time waste is moved from one site to another, unless the transfer is covered by a ‘season ticket’. For regular waste transfers between customers and suppliers you can agree a season ticket where one transfer note covers multiple transfers over a defined period. The use of a season ticket is only permitted when both of the following conditions stay the same:
- the parties involved in the series of transfers
- the description of the waste transferred.
Keep copies of waste transfer notes for two years, and consignment notes for three years.
What you should do
- Ensure you adequately contain wastes in your control. Do not rely on the containment system used by the previous holder of the waste.
- Don’t allow waste to escape from containers. Repack waste and write a new waste description if necessary.
- Make a visual inspection when accepting waste to check the accuracy of the waste description on the transfer note.
- Make sure waste is taken to a site with a suitable and valid Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) permit, waste management licence or appropriate exemption. Ask the site manager to show you the appropriate documents.
- Report possible offences to your environmental regulator, for example if you suspect that the waste has been handled illegally at any stage.
