Environmental guidance for your business in Northern Ireland & Scotland
If you import or export waste, you must first check that you are allowed to do so. Importing and exporting certain types of waste to and from some countries is banned.
Waste considered high risk under waste shipment controls is strictly regulated. To export or import this waste you need the consent of the countries involved. This consent is called a notification control.
How hazardous waste is defined for waste shipment controls may be different from the definition in the Hazardous or Special Waste Regulations.
Waste recovery is recycling, reclaiming and regenerating substances from all or part of waste - for example, converting waste into a raw material or using it to generate energy.
Before you move any notifiable waste you should always contact either the NIEA Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Helpline or the SEPA waste shipments unit.
Waste disposal includes incineration without energy generation, landfill and permanent storage of waste.
The import and export of any waste for disposal is banned except in a few limited circumstances. If you intend to import or export waste for disposal, you should either:
In Northern Ireland, you can import or export hazardous waste from the Republic of Ireland for disposal:
This is subject to notification controls. You must apply to the NIEA for permission and send them the correct paperwork.
If you want to import waste covered by notification controls, you must:
If you are importing waste, the competent authority for the country of dispatch (origin) will send the notification package to your competent authority.
If you import waste from outside the EU and recover materials and chemical substances from it, you may need to comply with the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) Regulation.
NIEA: Information on transfrontier waste shipments
SEPA: Information on transfrontier waste shipments
EUROPA: Frequently asked questions on waste shipments
EUROPA: List of competent authorities for waste shipments
International waste shipment controls
Importing or exporting green list waste
Importing or exporting waste under notification controls
Groundwater in Northern Ireland, DAERA have produced a leaflet to raise awareness about this untapped resource
EU Exit, EU Exit useful information
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