Carrying out waste management activities yourself
As a waste collector or manager you must take all reasonable steps to apply the waste hierarchy as a priority order to the management of your waste and promote 'high quality' recycling.
It is the duty of waste producers to take all reasonable steps to present at least the following key dry recyclables for separate collection:
- metals
- glass
- plastics
- paper, and
- card (including cardboard)
It is the duty of waste collectors to collect and transport these waste streams separately from other wastes.
If you offer a co-mingled collection to your customers, you must ensure that collection, transport and separation results in wastes which are of comparable quality to separately collected wastes and can be managed in a way that promotes the 'high quality' outcomes set out in the waste hierarchy guidance.
You may need an authorisation from your environmental regulator to carry out some waste management activities, such as storing and treating waste, or operating a landfill site or incineration plant.
The authorisation you need may be:
- a pollution prevention and control (PPC) permit, waste management licence or exemption, in Northern Ireland
- an EASR authorisation, In Scotland
Storing your own waste
In Northern Ireland, you may store your own waste while you wait for it to be removed from your site. In Scotland, you need an EASR authorisation.
In Scotland, to be considered authorised, you will need to comply with the rules of the relevant General Binding Rules (GBRs) for the storage of waste as part of collection.
Exemptions from waste management licensing in Northern Ireland
You can register an exemption for certain types of waste management activity. This means that as long as you comply with the terms of the exemption you will not need a permit or licence. These waste management activities are considered to pose a low risk of harm to the environment and to human health. Examples include:
- cleaning waste textiles
- treating waste at its place of production
- burning plant material on open land at its place of production
- spreading waste on land
- storing waste electrical and electronic equipment before recovery elsewhere.
Even if your waste management activities qualify for an exemption, you normally still need to register them with NIEA. You should speak to your environmental regulator before you carry out any waste management activities.
Contact your environmental regulator
Low-risk waste activities in Scotland
There are certain waste activities that are considered low-risk waste activities (LRWA), in Scotland. These low-risk activities do not require SEPA authorisation, if they are carried out following the conditions contained in the LRWA regulatory position statement.
The activities covered include:
- Voluntary litter collections
- Campfires and bonfires
- Construction and infrastructure activities -
- treating asphalt planings
- screening waste soil to remove vegetation, wood and rubble
- cut, chip and shred waste plant matter
- bury invasive non-native plants
- burning clean plant matter)
- Agriculture activities –
- Using tyres on silage pits
- Use of waste for animal bedding
- Burial of poisoned rodents
- Use of ash on land, from poultry or pig incineration
- Treating waste organophosphate sheep dip
- Pesticide disposal in a lined biobed
- Composting and anaerobic digestion
- Healthcare waste – Store, sort and denature waste controlled drugs
- Energy – Burning waste biomass in a small appliance
- Others -
- Storing ships waste in containers at a harbour
- Storing and processing samples of waste at a laboratory
- Use of waste for entertainment or educational purposes
- Emergency services and armed forces use of waste motor vehicles
- Using waste in creative installations
Transporting waste
If you transport your own or other people's waste, or you act as a waste broker or dealer, you must comply with legal controls. See the page in this guideline on who can deal with your waste.
Recovery of chemicals
If you recover chemical substances from waste, you may be affected by the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation. REACH aims to protect people and the environment by placing responsibilities on businesses that manufacture, import or recover chemical substances.
Waste is excluded from the provisions of REACH. However, REACH will apply as soon as the waste ceases to be legally defined as waste - for example, when the waste is processed to recover the chemicals contained within it.
Further information
If you are involved in commercial waste management read our guidance for Waste businesses