Review Of Waste Management Exemptions: England And Wales

On 31 July 2008 the Department for Environment, Food and

Rural Affairs (Defra) launched a 12 week consultation on ways

to improve and simplify waste exemptions from environmental

permitting. The proposed changes are expected to increase waste

recovery and recycling, whilst maintaining high levels of

environment protection and reducing cost. Defra, the Welsh

Assembly Government (WAG) and the Environment Agency are

reviewing which waste management activities can continue to

operate under exemptions, and which will require a permit. The

review will be of interest to any businesses involved in

recycling, reuse or disposal of waste, and those interested in

the greater use of cleantech in waste management.

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Full Article

On 31 July 2008 the Department for Environment, Food and

Rural Affairs (Defra) launched a 12 week consultation on ways

to improve and simplify waste exemptions from environmental

permitting. The proposed changes are expected to increase waste

recovery and recycling, whilst maintaining high levels of

environment protection and reducing cost. Defra, the Welsh

Assembly Government (WAG) and the Environment Agency are

reviewing which waste management activities can continue to

operate under exemptions, and which will require a permit. The

review will be of interest to any businesses involved in

recycling, reuse or disposal of waste, and those interested in

the greater use of cleantech in waste management.

Current regime

Formerly, waste management exemptions were governed by the

Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994 (as amended) and by

the Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) Regulations 2000. As

of 6 April 2008 for England and Wales these regimes were

replaced by the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales)

Regulations 2007. An exemption allows certain waste management

activities to be carried out without an environmental permit.

Usually the exemptions are ringfenced by reference to tonnages

of waste involved, certain time constraints (e.g. for storage)

and other criteria. A particular waste management activity

would only be exempt if it fell within such criteria.

Simple exemptions

A simple exemption is a waste management activity that is

exempt from requiring an Environmental Permit and which is

relatively low risk. All that they require is a notification

sent to the Environment Agency. To access a list of current

qualifying simple exemptions, the Agency guidance and the

notification application form, click here.

Complex exemptions

A complex waste exemption covers waste management activities

that are exempt from permitting but which the Agency needs to

check to ensure that they will not harm the environment. Those

...

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