Licensed and permitted sites
All operators holding a Waste Management Licence and some site operators holding a Pollution Prevention and Control permit are required to submit waste data returns to SEPA on a quarterly or annual basis.
Late submission or submissions of poor quality data may affect compliance scores.
Reporting periods and submission deadlines
| Quarter | Reporting Period | Deadline for submission to SEPA |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 January to 31 March | 28 April |
| 2 | 1 April to 30 June | 28 July |
| 3 | 1 July to 30 September | 28 October |
| 4 | 1 October to 31 December | 28 January |
| Annual | 1 January to 31 December | 28 January |
How to submit your return
Operators are asked to submit their waste data returns in Excel format (.xlsx) using the standard Licensed/Permitted Site Return (LSR) form and guidance provided below. Please check this webpage regularly for any updates to the return form or guidance.
- Licensed/permitted site return form (Excel, 0.5 MB)
- Licensed/permitted guidance November 2016 (PDF, 399 MB)
Further information on the coding of waste is available:
- Guidance on using EWC - November 2015 (PDF, 1.24 MB)
- SEPA waste thesaurus
- List of Waste Commission Decision (2014/955/EU)
- Technical guidance on the classification and assessment of waste WM3
- UK density conversion factors for waste
Data use
We publish a summary of the data from the licensed/permitted site return form in the waste sites and capacity report. We also use the data to check compliance, help fulfil SEPA’s reporting obligations and respond to relevant data requests.
Learn more about how we use waste data, including how to apply to withhold the geographic origin or destination of waste from publication if this will impact you commercially.