Permission you need to deposit waste for recovery
Depositing waste for recovery is when you use waste material instead of non-waste material for:
- construction
- reclamation
- restoration or improvement of land
The waste material serves a useful purpose because it replaces non-waste materials. Instead of the waste being disposed of, it is being recovered.
Unless you can operate under an exemption, you will need a permit from us to deposit waste.
Get planning permission
You usually need planning permission to use land for depositing waste for recovery. You should contact your local planning authority for advice. You should do this well before you start your activity.
You must tell us if your planning permission expires, is withdrawn or changed by the planning authority as this may affect your permit and waste recovery plan.
Check available permits
You can apply for a standard rule permit if you are able to meet the following criteria:
If you have this permit you can only accept wastes that:
- meet the description in the standard rules set, and
- are included in your approved waste recovery plan, and
- are within the total volume and tonnage included in your approved waste recovery plan
If you are unable to meet the criteria, you may need to apply for a bespoke permit.
Treating as well as depositing waste
If you intend to carry out a waste treatment activity to, for example, mix or blend waste or manufacture a soil substitute, you will need to apply for a permit that allows this. You can either apply for it as a separate activity within your deposit for recovery permit, or as a separate permit.
Standard rules permits for treating waste include:
SR2008No11: Inert and excavation waste transfer station with treatment
SR2009No6: Inert and excavation waste transfer station with treatment
SR2010No11: Mobile plant for the treatment of waste to produce soil, soil substitutes and aggregate
SR2010No12 Treatment of waste to produce soil, soil substitutes and aggregate
Landfill sites
If you want to recover waste at a landfill site, including carrying out landfill restoration, that activity must be separately authorised either in your landfill permit or as a separate permit.
We consider landfill restoration to be the placement of an even layer of soil on top of the landfill (normally above the engineered cap) to return the land to beneficial use. You may use waste in any engineered structure if it satisfies the minimum engineering standards. Find out more in designing and building your landfill site.
Get pre application advice on landfill permits.
Information you'll need to provide in a permit application
You'll need to provide different information for the two permit types: standard rules and bespoke.
Standard rules permit
To apply for a standard rules permit to deposit waste for recovery you should find out:
- how to prepare a waste recovery plan
- how to prepare an environmental management system
- what information you'll need to provide in forms Part A, Part B1 and Part F1
Bespoke permit
To apply for a bespoke permit to deposit waste for recovery you should find out:
- how to prepare a waste recovery plan
- how to prepare an environmental management system
- how to carry out a risk assessment
- what information you'll need to provide in forms Part A, Part B2, Part B4 and Part F1
Get advice
Before you apply for a permit you can get two hours of advice free.