The most cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to deal with your waste is to reduce the amount of waste your business produces.
By reducing, reusing and recycling the waste from your road transport business you can:
- save money on waste disposal
- reduce your costs for managing and handling your waste
- improve your environmental performance
- improve your reputation with staff, customers and the public.
What you must do
Comply with your duty of care
Materials that you intend to recycle or recover, such as used tyres, are still likely to be classified as waste. The duty of care affects all businesses. You must comply with your waste responsibilities.
Your road transport waste responsibilities
Check if you need to register a waste exemption
If you store or carry out certain waste reuse, recycling and recovery activities you may need to register an exemption with your environmental regulator. See our guidance on waste exemptions for road transport businesses.
Store your waste legally
You must make sure your waste is stored safely and legally, see our guidance on waste storage and transport for road transport businesses.
Use licensed individuals or companies to handle your waste
Businesses that treat, recycle and recover your waste must be authorised to do so.
Find your nearest licensed waste site to recycle or dispose of your waste by using our waste directory.
Have a permit to generate energy
If your business burns waste oil or recovered fuel oil as a fuel to generate energy, you are likely to need a permit. See our guidance on energy and steam generation for road transport businesses.
Good practice
Consider your materials
Select materials that are easy to reuse and recycle. Contact your suppliers for help with choosing materials.
Minimise the amount of chemicals you use to reduce your business’ impact on the environment. You could also save money by buying fewer chemicals and paying less for disposing of the waste after their use.
Return pallets and packaging to your suppliers or customers, or reuse them around your site.
Consider repairing or upgrading existing equipment instead of replacing it.
Reduce waste batteries and tyres
Use one-for-one battery or tyre exchange schemes which collect old batteries and tyres when new ones are delivered. You will need less waste storage space.
If you have waste automotive batteries you can request a free collection of batteries from any producer who currently supplies new batteries.
You can obtain a list of registered producers from your environmental regulator.
Contact your environmental regulator
For more information on recycling used tyres see our guidance on end-of-life vehicles and waste tyres.
Recover and recycle your waste
Minimise the amount of waste that your business produces. Consider alternatives to disposing of waste. For example, waste hydraulic fluids or lubricants can be recycled by a licensed contractor.
Where possible, recycle used oils. For further information, see Pollution Prevention Guideline (PPG) 8.
PPG 8 Safe storage and disposal of used oils (Adobe PDF - 76KB)
Segregate recyclable materials
Segregating recyclable materials makes it easier for them to be recycled and reduces your waste management costs.
Other guidance on reducing oil and solvent use
Business Link (England): Reduce and manage lubricating and hydraulic oils
Business Link (England): Reduce solvent use during vehicle refinishing
Business Gateway (Scotland): Reduce and manage lubricating and hydraulic oils
Business Gateway (Scotland): Reduce solvent use during vehicle refinishing
For information for all businesses, read our guidance on how to reduce, reduce and recycle.
Reduce, reuse and recycle your business waste
Envirowise support for business
In Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales Envirowise offers FastTrack Visits, free on-site waste reviews by independent experts.
Envirowise: How will a FastTrack visit benefit me?
