Waste carriers and brokers

The requirement to register as a carrier/broker of controlled waste is contained within “The Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989” and “The Controlled Waste (Registration of Carriers and Seizure of Vehicles) Regulations 1991”. These require that any person who transports/makes arrangements for management of waste in the course of any business without being registered  with the appropriate registration authority commits an offence, unless they are exempt. Further Guidance is contained in the section 'Who Needs to Register'.

Where the principal place of business is in Scotland application should be made to SEPA. Where it is In England or Wales application should be made to The Environment Agency. A check on companies Registered as a carrier within England and Wales can be carried out via the Environment Agency's website .

Detailed guidance on the requirement to register as a Carrier or Broker and associated legislation is provided on the Netregs website, which is maintained jointly by the Environment Agency, SEPA and the Department of Environment Northern Ireland.

The cost of registering as a carrier of controlled waste is contained with the Fees and Charges scheme (see extract below). The registration itself is valid within Great Britain for a period of 3 years from the date of issue of the registration at which time a reduced renewal fee is payable.

Extract from the Waste Management Fees and Charges (Scotland) Scheme 2011:

5. Prescribed Charges For Carriers Applications, Carriers Renewal Applications, Brokers Applications And Brokers Renewal Applications

The charges payable in respect of carriers applications, carriers renewal applications,
brokers applications and brokers renewal applications shall be those set out in (a) to (g) below:

(a)  subject to sub-paragraph (c) below, a carriers applications, £158;
(b)  subject to sub-paragraphs (c) and (g) below, a brokers application, £158;
(c)  a combined carriers application and brokers application, £158;
(d)  subject to sub-paragraph (f) below, a carriers renewal application, £109;
(e)  subject to sub-paragraph (f) below, a brokers renewal application, £109;
(f)  a combined carriers renewal application and brokers renewal application, £109;
(g)  a brokers application by a person already registered as a carrier of controlled waste, £42

Once registered a “Certificate of Registration” is sent out as proof of registration. This is also available in a credit card sized copy at a small additional charge of £5.00.