Environmental compliance UK-wide

Business waste management

Your legal duty of care for waste, waste transfer notes, and avoiding fly-tipping liability.

Guide summary

You must manage your business waste safely from the moment it is created until it is disposed of. Store waste securely, only give it to a registered waste carrier, and keep a waste transfer note (or consignment note for hazardous waste) for each transfer. Break these rules and you could face an unlimited fine and up to 5 years in prison.

  • Store waste safely and securely on your premises
  • Only transfer waste to a registered waste carrier
  • Complete a waste transfer note for each non-hazardous waste transfer
  • Keep waste transfer notes for at least 2 years
  • Use consignment notes for hazardous waste – keep for 3 years
  • Check the carrier is registered on the public register before each transfer
  • Use a season ticket for regular collections of the same waste type (valid up to 12 months)
  • Fly-tipping can lead to a fixed penalty of up to £1,000 from April 2025 in England
  • Directors can be prosecuted personally for waste offences
On this page

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Register a waste exemption

How to register a waste exemption with the Environment Agency instead of applying for a full environmental permit. …

You have a legal duty of care for your business waste from the moment it's produced until it's disposed of. This applies to all businesses regardless of size. Breaking these rules can lead to unlimited fines and up to 5 years in prison.

Your duty of care

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, you must:

  • store waste safely and securely
  • only transfer waste to registered waste carriers
  • complete a waste transfer note or consignment note for each transfer
  • keep records for the required period
  • take all reasonable steps to prevent illegal disposal

Waste transfer notes

Complete a waste transfer note every time you transfer non-hazardous waste to another person. This includes when your regular waste collector takes it away.

Season tickets for regular collections

If you have regular waste collections of the same type going to the same place, use a season ticket instead of writing individual transfer notes each time.

Hazardous waste

Hazardous waste has stricter requirements. You need consignment notes instead of transfer notes, and longer record-keeping periods.

Healthcare & Social Care Requirement

Healthcare & Social Care businesses only

Healthcare providers typically exceed the 500kg hazardous waste threshold due to clinical waste, cytotoxic waste, sharps, and pharmaceutical waste. You must:

  • Register your premises with the Environment Agency before your first hazardous waste collection (£37 online)
  • Segregate clinical waste by colour-coded bags (orange for infectious, yellow for cytotoxic, purple for cytostatic)
  • Use licensed clinical waste carriers - standard waste carriers cannot handle clinical waste
  • Complete consignment notes for each collection with EWC codes (18 01 03 for infectious, 18 01 06 for cytotoxic)

Improper disposal of clinical waste can lead to regulatory action from both the Environment Agency and CQC.

Who this applies to: GP practices, dental surgeries, care homes, hospitals, pharmacies
Healthcare waste guidance (opens in a new tab)
Manufacturing & Engineering Requirement

Manufacturing & Engineering businesses only

Manufacturing businesses often produce multiple hazardous waste streams that require careful management:

  • Common hazardous wastes: Cutting oils, solvents, paints, plating solutions, chemical residues, contaminated packaging
  • Premises registration: Required if producing >500kg hazardous waste per year - most manufacturing sites exceed this
  • Packaging producer responsibility: If you handle >50 tonnes packaging AND >£2m turnover, you must register for packaging EPR
  • Plastic packaging tax: Applies if you produce/import 10+ tonnes of plastic packaging with <30% recycled content (£228.82/tonne from 1 April 2026, uprated annually)
Who this applies to: Factories, workshops, processing plants, chemical manufacturers
Hazardous waste guidance (opens in a new tab)

Check your waste carrier is registered

Always verify that anyone taking your waste is registered before you transfer it. You can be held liable if your waste is fly-tipped, even if you paid what looked like a legitimate company.

Digital waste tracking rollout

The public beta launched in April 2026. Digital waste tracking becomes mandatory in England for permitted or licensed waste receiving sites from October 2026, and for waste carriers, brokers and dealers from October 2027.

  1. 1

    Identify your waste streams

    List all waste types your business produces. Note any that may be hazardous - oils, solvents, fluorescent tubes, batteries, asbestos.

  2. 2

    Check waste carrier registration

    Before any waste transfer, verify the carrier is registered on the public register for your nation.

  3. 3

    Complete waste transfer notes

    For each non-hazardous waste transfer, complete a waste transfer note with all required information. Keep for 2 years.

  4. 4

    Use consignment notes for hazardous waste

    Hazardous waste needs consignment notes. Keep producer records for 3 years at your premises.

  5. 5

    Set up season tickets for regular collections

    For regular waste collections of the same type to the same destination, use a season ticket valid up to 12 months.

  6. 6

    Prepare for digital tracking

    The public beta launched in April 2026; mandatory use starts from October 2026 for waste receiving sites and October 2027 for carriers, brokers and dealers. Review your record-keeping systems.