Waste Exemptions

What are exempt waste operations?

Certain waste operations have been exempt from the need to hold an environmental permit (formerly a waste management licence) for many years. These operations are not unregulated but are subject to a lighter touch regulation requiring those who carry them out to comply with certain rules and not cause harm to the environment.

The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 require most activities that manage or treat waste should have a permit. However, there are some exceptions and these are called exemptions. Exemptions are waste operations that do not need a permit but do need to be registered.

Who registers exempt waste operations?

Most exempt waste operations are registered by the Environment Agency, however under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 , Schedule 3, Chapter 3, Section 2, any T3 and T7 waste exempt operations operating within the borough of Cheshire East must be registered with Cheshire East Borough Council. These are briefly described as: 

• T3 is the treatment of waste metals and alloys for the purposes of removing grease, oil or any other non-metallic contaminant by heating it in an appliance or appliances with a net rated thermal input of less than 0.2 megawatts
• T7 is the treatment of waste bricks, ceramic tiles and concrete by crushing, grinding or reducing it in size but not including any treatment covered by a Part B permitted activity as described in Schedule 1, Section 3.5 of the EP Regulations

 T3 and T7 activities

To quality as a T3 exempt waste operation the activity must also meet the following criteria:

•  The total quantity of waste stored at any one time must not exceed 10 tonnes
•  The waste must be stored in a secure location with sealed drainage
•  The appliance (or aggregate of all appliances used together) must be less than 0.2 megawatts net rated thermal input
•  Must not be used for the removal of plastic and rubber from scrap cable or any asbestos contaminant

To quality as a T7 exempt waste operation the activity must also meet the following criteria:

•  The total quantity of waste treated over any period of 1 hour should not exceed 20 tonnes
•  The total quantity of waste stored at any one time must not exceed 200 tonnes
•  The waste must be stored in a secure location prior to treatment
•  Must not release into air certain substance (defined in paragraph 6(3) of Part I of Schedule 1 of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 except in quantities which are so trivial that it is incapable of causing pollution or its capacity to cause pollution is insignificant

If you operate mobile plant then your principal place of business must be within the Cheshire East Borough Council area, otherwise you should contact your home local authority. If your principal place of business is outside of the United Kingdom then we can still register your exemption if the activity is to be carried out within our borough.

If you carry out the above activities but cannot meet the specific criteria then it is likely that a full permit under the regulations is required. 

How do I register my T3 or T7 exempt waste operation?

You can register a T3 or T7 waste exemption using the registration form provided.

T3 and T7 waste exemption registration form (PDF, 1.74MB)

All details of how to complete the application and where to send it are provided on the form itself.

How much does it cost to register?

There is no charge to register.

How quickly will my exemption be registered?

We will acknowledge your application as soon as we receive it by post or email. We will then aim to process this and write to you within five working days confirming whether your activity has been registered.

If we require additional information we will contact you and in some cases this may mean it takes longer to complete the registration process.

How long will my registration be valid for?

Your registration will be valid for three years and you must renew your registration before the registration expires. You can apply for a renewal of your registration up to one month before the expiry date. If you do not apply for a renewal before the expiry date, your registration will be removed and you will no longer be registered for that exempt waste operation.

Public register of exempt operations

As the exemption registration authority we are required to maintain an up to date public register of establishments or undertakings with a valid T3 or T7 exempt waste operation. For more information please contact us.