Waste Exemptions
Some waste operations are exempt from needing an Environmental Permit and can operate under one or more Waste Exemptions instead, these include businesses that use, treat, recover, stores or disposes of waste.
You can only register a waste exemption if the waste operation:
- meets all the limits and conditions of an exemption
- doesn’t harm the environment or human health.
Overview
All exemptions must be registered with the Environment Agency. Exemptions last for three years, if the operation is still active after this time then re-registration of the exemption will be required. Guidance on how to chose, register and pay for exemptions in set on on the .gov website[1]. A publication in July 2025 on the .gov website[2] set out changes to the exemptions that include:
- prohibiting exemptions at permitted sites
- limited how many exemptions can be used at a site
- increased requirements for waste operators to record information about exemptions
- technical changes to waste codes and conditions to increase consistency
The exemptions fall into four categories:
- Using waste (U)
- Storing waste (S)
- Treating waste (T)
- Disposing of waste (D)
The following are a list of exemptions under each of the four categories, detailed guidance for each exemption is available on the .gov website[3].
Using Waste (U) Exemptions
- U1: using waste in construction (conditions changing set out in July 2025)
- U2: using end-of-life tyre bales in construction
- U3: using waste in creative installations
- U4: burning waste as fuel in a small appliance
- U5: using biodiesel produced from waste as fuel
- U6: using sludge to reseed a waste water treatment plant
- U7: using effluent to clean a highway gravel bed
- U8: using waste for a specific purpose
- U9: using waste to manufacture finished goods
- U10: spreading waste to benefit agricultural land
- U11: spreading waste on non-agricultural land
- U12: using mulch
- U13: spreading plant matter where it was grown, to benefit soil
- U14: mixing ash back into soil
- U15: mixing pig and poultry ash with manure
- U16: using depolluted end-of-life vehicles for parts (to be removed as set out in July 2025)
Storing Waste (S) Exemptions
- S1: storing waste in secure containers (conditions changing set out in July 2025)
- S2: storing waste at a secure site (conditions changing set out in July 2025)
- S3: storing sludge
Treating Waste (T) Exemptions
- T1: treating certain waste to reuse or recycle
- T2: cleaning textiles to reuse or recycle
- T4: storing and preparing for further treatment (conditions changing set out in July 2025)
- T5: screening and blending waste
- T6: treating waste wood and plant matter (conditions changing set out in July 2025)
- T8: mechanically treating end-of-life tyres (to be removed as set out in July 2025)
- T9: recovering scrap metal (to be removed as set out in July 2025)
- T10: sorting waste for recycling
- T11 waste exemption: repairing or refurbishing waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)
- T12: manually treating waste (conditions changing set out in July 2025)
- T13: treating waste food
- T14: emptying and crushing oil filters from vehicles
- T15: treating waste aerosol cans
- T16: treating toner and ink cartridges for reuse
- T17: crushing waste fluorescent tubes
- T18: removing water from clay and paints
- T19: treating edible oil and fat to produce biodiesel
- T20: treating waste at a water treatment works
- T21: recovering waste at waste water treatment works
- T23: aerobic composting
- T24: anaerobic digestion on farms
- T25: anaerobic digestion not done on a farm
- T26: using a wormery to compost kitchen waste
- T28 waste exemption: sorting and denaturing controlled drugs for disposal
- T29: carbon filtering non-hazardous pesticide washings
- T30: recovering silver from photography and printing
- T31: recovering monopropylene glycol from aircraft antifreeze
- T32: treating waste in a biobed or biofilter
- T33: recovering central heating oil by filtration
Disposing of waste (D) Exemptions
- D1: depositing waste from dredging inland waters
- D2: depositing waste from train toilets
- D3: depositing waste from a portable toilet
- D4: depositing diseased crops under a Plant Health Notice
- D5: depositing waste samples for testing or analysis
- D6: incinerating waste produced on site
- D7: burning plant and untreated wood waste where it's produced (conditions changing set out in July 2025)
- D8: burning waste at a port under a Plant Health Notice