Transporters of waste (waste carriers), brokers and dealers
Transporters of waste (also known as waste carriers) carry commercial, industrial and household waste, known as controlled waste, as part of their business. Waste brokers arrange for other businesses' controlled waste to be handled, transported, disposed of or recovered. Waste dealers use an agent to buy waste from other businesses to sell on.
This guide will help you work out if you are a transporter of waste, broker or dealer. It will tell you if you need an authorisation from your environmental regulator. This includes dealers who do not take physical possession of the waste.
In Scotland, from 1 November 2025, the regulation of waste management activities, including the transport of waste, moved under the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018 (EASR). If you have a waste carrier registration, this automatically became an EASR registration on 1st November 2025.
From 1st April 2026, new standard conditions will apply. You can find out what your new standard conditions will be on the SEPA website.