Waste exemptions: when you can operate without a permit

What an exemption is

Schedule 3 to the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 lists waste operations that are exempt from the need for a permit if they meet strict conditions. They fall into four groups:

Each exemption specifies the List of Waste codes allowed, maximum quantities, storage periods and other conditions. Operating outside those conditions, or without registering, means you are running an unpermitted waste operation.

Registering and what it costs

In England you register online with the Environment Agency. Since the 2025 charging reforms a registration costs £58.13 plus a compliance charge for each exemption that reflects its risk, from £31.14 to £1,282.97. Registrations last three years and must be renewed, and you must tell the Agency if your details change or you stop operating. Some exemptions can only be registered at a site you own or control, and you may need to show the site plan.

In Wales exemptions are registered with Natural Resources Wales through its online account; check NRW's current charges before applying.

In Scotland the old exemptions were replaced on 1 November 2025 by EASR's tiered approach: the lowest-risk activities run under general binding rules with no registration, others need a notification or a registration with SEPA, and higher-risk activities need a permit.

In Northern Ireland NIEA registers exemptions from waste management licensing under the Waste Management Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003.

The confirmed reforms

Following its consultation, Defra confirmed a package of reforms to the exemptions most associated with waste crime:

• removing U16 (using depolluted end-of-life vehicles for parts), T8 (mechanically treating end-of-life vehicles) and T9 (recovering scrap metal), so these activities will need a permit;
• tightening the conditions of U1, T4, T6, T12, D7, S1 and S2, including quantity limits and the distance between exempt sites;
• requiring exemptions to be registered to a site and operator, with better identity checks.

The policy is confirmed but the amending regulations and start date have not been published. If you rely on U16, T8 or T9, start planning for a permit now; if you rely on the others, check that your activity fits the tightened limits when they are set.

Tip: the Environment Agency's exemption pages set out each exemption's conditions in full. Print the one you rely on, check your site against it and keep the record with your registration.

Choosing between an exemption and a permit

An exemption is right if your activity is genuinely small and low risk and you can stay within every condition. A permit is needed if you exceed the quantity limits, handle waste types outside the exemption, store for longer than allowed, or operate a business whose core activity is waste treatment. Standard rules permits exist for many mid-sized activities and can be cheaper and faster to obtain than operators expect; see our environmental permits guide. Running a permit-scale operation under an exemption is one of the most common enforcement findings.

How to register an exemption, step by step

1. Identify the exemption that matches your activity

   Read the conditions in full, including the waste codes and quantity limits.

2. Check the site rules

   Some exemptions must be registered at a specific site; others can cover several locations. Note minimum distances from other exempt sites where they apply.

3. Register online and pay

   In England, £58.13 plus the compliance charge for each exemption. Keep the confirmation and registration number.

4. Keep within the limits and keep records

   Log quantities received, treated and removed, and the dates waste arrived, so you can show you are inside the storage period and tonnage caps.

5. Renew every three years

   Diary the renewal date and update the registration if your activity changes.

Enforcement

Because an exemption only exists while its conditions are met, breaching them means you are operating without a permit under regulation 12 of the 2016 Regulations. That carries an unlimited fine and up to five years' imprisonment on conviction, and since December 2023 the Environment Agency can impose variable monetary penalties with no upper limit as a civil sanction. The Agency also deregisters exemptions it finds being used to cover illegal waste sites.

How it differs across the UK

E England

Registered online with the Environment Agency for £58.13 plus a compliance charge per exemption; valid 3 years. Confirmed reforms will remove U16, T8 and T9 and tighten seven others, date to be set.

W Wales

The same Schedule 3 exemptions apply, registered with Natural Resources Wales; check NRW's current charges. The reform package is a joint Defra and Welsh Government policy.

S Scotland

Since 1 November 2025 the former exemptions sit within EASR as general binding rules, notifications or registrations with SEPA, depending on risk.

NI Northern Ireland

Exemptions from waste management licensing are registered with NIEA under the Waste Management Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003.

Key dates

• 2027

  Confirmed reform of waste exemptions (removal of U16, T8, T9; tightening of U1, T4, T6, T12, D7, S1, S2): start date not yet set

  Operators relying on the affected exemptions EW Proposed

Dates marked “Proposed” are announced or consulted on but not yet law. See the full deadlines calendar.

Fees and charges

Penalties and enforcement

Where to do it: official services

• Register your waste exemptions (England) Register or apply

  Register, renew or deregister exemptions online and pay the charges. Environment Agency via GOV.UK E

• Waste exemptions: how to choose, register and pay Guidance

  The current registration and compliance charges and the conditions for each exemption. Environment Agency E

• Reforming the waste exemptions system Guidance

  The confirmed policy on which exemptions will be removed or tightened. Defra EW

• EASR authorisations: waste activities (Scotland) Register or apply

  Find the EASR tier for your activity and apply for a notification, registration or permit. SEPA S

The law behind this

• Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, Schedule 3 (exempt waste operations) EW
• Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, regulation 38 (offences) EW
• Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018 S
• Waste Management Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 NI

Terms used in this guide

Waste exemption

A registered, conditional permission to carry out a specified low-risk waste operation without an environmental permit.

U1 exemption

The exemption allowing suitable waste (such as crushed concrete or soil) to be used in construction, up to set tonnage limits.

T4 exemption

The exemption for preparatory treatments such as baling, sorting, shredding or compacting waste before recovery.

D7 exemption

The exemption for burning plant tissue and untreated wood waste in the open at the place of production, within limits.

Compliance charge

The Environment Agency's annualised charge for checking that a registered exemption is being operated within its conditions.

Full glossary