» Back to listing Waste Exemptions Revised
From 1st July 2025 there is a revised list of waste exemptions. The review of these waste management exemptions for storing, treating, using and disposing of wastes was completed and the following list has been published at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/waste-exemption-guides
There is a charge for most exemptions which apply in charging bands with exemptions being free for registered charities and anyone registering for a T28 (denaturing controlled drugs).
Any activity or business must ensure that it has the correct permission to manage wastes that it produces or manages on behalf of others. Check that you have the right exemption, and ensure that you do not need a permit.
Operators and waste managers will note that the exemptions have become specific for categories and activities around waste types. This is because Defra and the Environment Agency had encountered waste management operations misusing exemptions and also ‘bundling’ tonnages and timescales together to avoid applying for full permits. This was investigated and found to be widespread in organised criminal activity around wastes, but also due to a lack of understanding by some operators about how exemptions apply. As a result the review has sought to clamp down on any ambiguity around exemptions.
Businesses and operators now need to be precise about the wastes that they store, treat, use and dispose of.
See the list below and double check that any waste exemption under which you operate still applies, or that you do not need a new exemption.
Non-Waste Framework Directive (NWFD) Exemptions still apply if you store your own waste temporarily or operate a collection point for your waste.
Temporary storage where waste is produced (NWFD 2 exemption)
Temporary storage of waste produced somewhere else (NWFD 3 exemption)
Temporary storage at a collection point (NWFD 4 exemption)
Storing Wastes
S1: storing waste in secure containers
S2: storing waste at a secure site
S3: storing sludge
Treating Wastes
T1: treating certain waste to reuse or recycle
T2: cleaning textiles to reuse or recycle
T3 – treatment of waste metals and metal alloys by heating for the purposes of removing grease (Local Authority register)
T4: storing and preparing for further treatment
T5: screening and blending waste
T6: treating waste wood and plant matter
T7 – treatment of waste bricks, tiles and concrete by crushing, grinding or reducing in size (Local Authority register)
T8: mechanically treating end-of-life tyres
T9: recovering scrap metal
T10: sorting waste for recycling
T11 waste exemption: repairing or refurbishing waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)
T12: manually treating waste
T13: treating waste food
T14: emptying and crushing oil filters from vehicles
T15: treating waste aerosol cans
T16: treating toner and ink cartridges for reuse
T17: crushing waste fluorescent tubes
T18: removing water from clay and paints
T19: treating edible oil and fat to produce biodiesel
T20: treating waste at a water treatment works
T21: recovering waste at waste water treatment works
T23: aerobic composting
T24: anaerobic digestion on farms
T25: anaerobic digestion not done on a farm
T26: using a wormery to compost kitchen waste
T28 waste exemption: sorting and denaturing controlled drugs for disposal
T29: carbon filtering non-hazardous pesticide washings
T30: recovering silver from photography and printing
T31: recovering monopropylene glycol from aircraft antifreeze
T32: treating waste in
T33: recovering central heating oil by filtration
Using Wastes (construction, spreading to land or burning as fuel)
U1: using waste in construction
U2: using end-of-life tyre bales in construction
U3: using waste in creative installations
U4: burning waste as fuel in a small appliance
U5: using biodiesel produced from waste as fuel
U6: using sludge to reseed a waste water treatment plant
U7: using effluent to clean a highway gravel bed
U8: using waste for a specific purpose
U9: using waste to manufacture finished goods
U10: spreading waste to benefit agricultural land
U11: spreading waste on non-agricultural land
U12: using mulch
U13: spreading plant matter where it was grown, to benefit soil
U14: mixing ash back into soil
U15: mixing pig and poultry ash with manure
U16: using depolluted end-of-life vehicles for parts
Disposing of Waste (by incineration and sanitary, agricultural and spoil from dredging inland waterways)
D1: depositing waste from dredging inland waters
D2: depositing waste from train toilets
D3: depositing waste from a portable toilet
D4: depositing diseased crops under a Plant Health Notice
D5: depositing waste samples for testing or analysis
D6: incinerating waste produced on site
D7: burning plant and untreated wood waste where it's produced
D8: burning waste at a port under a Plant Health Notice
Guidance is available on the government website but also at Peak HSE.
