Wirtten by: Laura Charles
You have a legal responsibility for any waste that you produce as part of your business. Waste must be stored safely and securely, you must also ensure that any subsequent people and/ or businesses who take control of your waste are authorised to receive it. A Waste Transfer Note must be provided and kept for each load of waste that leaves your premises. These transfer notes must be kept for 2 years and available to view should you be requested to by any local authority or the Environment Agency.
A Waste Carrier Licence is obtained from the Environment Agency to allow you to transport & dispose of any waste that is produced as part of your business. Failure to have the relevant license can carry a fine of up to £5000.
You/ Your business must be registered for a Waste Carrier Licence if you are doing any of the following:
- Transporting waste
- Buying, selling or disposing of waste
- Arranging for another party to sell or dispose of waste
There are two types of Waste Carrier Licences dependant on what activities you are carrying out:
- Lower Tier Registration
- This registration is free and will only need to be registered once.
- This registration is needed if you transport your own waste which is not building/ construction waste.
- Upper Tier Registration
- This registration has a fee of £154 and will need to be renewed every 3 years.
- This registration is needed if you are transporting someone else’s waste or someone else’s waste is being transported.
Once registered you will receive a Certificate of Registration under the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011.
