UK Statutory Instrument 2011 United Kingdom

Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011

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At a glance

Enforced by

Environment Agency, OEP, DEFRA, NRW

What's here

22 compliance obligations, 9 practical guides across 4 topics · 12 journeys

Penalty landscape

1 of 22 obligations carry up to 2 years imprisonment. 1 carries different penalties and 20 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Any Person 4
  • Operator 2
  • Director or Officer 1

Plus 15 non-business duties on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.

Step-by-step journeys using this legislation

Walkthroughs that take you from a real business situation to compliance.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Supporting — topic alignment

7 guides

Mentioned in related content

2 guides

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Any Person also bound by 749 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Operators also bound by 125 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Directors and Officers also bound by 224 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Part 1 — General

Browse 6 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.modification of directive 2000/60/ec of the europe

Modification of Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council

s.modification of the industrial emissions directive

Modification of the Industrial Emissions Directive

s.modification of the landfill directive

Modification of the Landfill Directive

s.modification of the mining waste directive

Modification of the Mining Waste Directive

s.modification of the waste framework directive

Modification of the Waste Framework Directive

Part 2 — Waste prevention programmes

Part 3 — Waste management plans

s.008

Content of waste management plans

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Government must ensure waste management plans cover all of England and Wales Crown / Minister / Government department

Part 4 — Waste prevention programmes and waste management plans: general provision

s.009

Directions to the Environment Agency

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State and Welsh Ministers may direct environmental bodies Crown / Minister / Government department
Browse 2 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 5 — Duties in relation to waste management and improved use of waste as a resource

Browse 2 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.interpretation: wales

Interpretation: Wales

Part 6 — Duties of planning authorities

s.018

Exercise of planning functions

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Planning authorities must follow Waste Framework Directive standards Local authority
s.019

Inspections

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Planning authorities must conduct periodic inspections of waste sites Local authority
Browse 3 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 7 — Deposits in the sea

s.022

Exercise of offshore licensing functions

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Authorities must follow waste hierarchy and plans for offshore licensing Crown / Minister / Government department
s.023

Inspections

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulators must conduct periodic inspections of offshore waste sites Statutory regulator
Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 8 — Registration of carriers, brokers and dealers

s.028

The register

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Environment Agency and NRW must maintain a register of waste businesses Statutory regulator
s.034

Inspections

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulators must conduct periodic inspections of waste carriers, brokers and dealers Statutory regulator
Browse 6 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 9 — Transfer of waste

Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 10 — Enforcement

Browse 8 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 10A — Authority to transport controlled waste

Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.specified requirements under section 5 of the cont

Specified requirements under section 5 of the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989

Part 11 — Final provisions

s.049

Review

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State must review waste regulations every five years Crown / Minister / Government department
Browse 2 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Schedules

Browse 2 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
Read the full Act on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

Environment Agency

Primary

Environmental protection in England. Regulates waste, emissions, water quality, flood risk, and environmental permits for industrial activities. Enforces environmental law and issues …

OEP

Office for Environmental Protection

Independent body established post-Brexit to scrutinise environmental law and investigate complaints about public authorities' failures to comply with environmental law in England …

DEFRA

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries, and rural communities. Sets environmental policy and works with agencies …

NRW

Natural Resources Wales

Principal environmental regulator for Wales. Combines functions of Environment Agency Wales, Countryside Council for Wales, and Forestry Commission Wales. Issues environmental permits, …

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Browse legislation

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Regulators

Learn more about the bodies that enforce this legislation.