These are all examples of waste management activities. Before you do any of these things, you have to register a waste management licensing exemption with us.
Registering existing activities
The deadline for registering existing activities for your agricultural waste exemptions with us has passed. However, we can still accept notifications for a limited time. Register now and you are less likely to be inspected.
New agricultural waste regulations
The new agricultural waste regulations affect whether or not you can burn, bury, store, use your waste on the farm or send it elsewhere. They came into force on 15 May 2006, when you needed to stop using your farm tip/dump and burning plastics and other materials. You also have to remember your Duty of Care when storing or passing your waste to someone else.
Farmers had until 15 May 2007 to comply with the new rules and to register for any agricultural waste exemptions. If you:
- ordered an exemption pack and haven't filled it in, please do so and return it to us as soon as you can
- haven't got a pack, you can still get one by calling our dedicated agricultural waste help-line on 0845 603 3113 and quoting product code: GEHO0106BJXN-E-P
- want to register online, you can do this using Defra's Whole Farm Approach (WFA). This is designed to lighten the regulatory burden on farmers and growers in England by bringing together the information requests from Defra and its partners in one system.
New rules for non-hazardous waste
After 30 October 2007 you can no longer send untreated waste to landfill. There are some simple ways in which you can comply with the new rules, although we think that most farmers are already complying. For more information download our fact sheet, to the right of the screen, 'New rules on agricultural waste - Treating non-hazardous wastes for landfill'.
Are you about to change the way you manage your waste or are you looking to start a new waste management business?
You may need to register a new exemption if you don't already have one registered with us that applies to the activity you intend to do. For new activities, you can register at any time before starting that activity. Call our helpline on 0845 603 3113 for advice.
Anaerobic Digestion
If you are looking to set up an anaerobic digestion plant for your manures/slurries or other wastes, then further details about permitting can be found in the following document:
Hazardous waste
The hazardous waste regulations applied to farmers from 15 May 2007.
Under these rules you need to:
- know what hazardous waste you're producing
- only give it to someone authorised to handle it and make sure it is disposed of at a properly authorised site
- use a consignment note every time you or someone else removes hazardous waste from your farm
- register with us if you produce more than 500kg of hazardous waste a year (excluding scrap vehicles)
Further information
If you need more information on agricultural waste issues, ring our dedicated helpline: 0845 603 3113.
Waste costs money to recover and dispose so minimising the amount of waste on your farm can save you money and time.
Find out about waste exemptions that may apply to you.
