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A consultation on revised waste exemptions from environmental permitting

Defra, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Environment Agency are undertaking a review of the waste exemptions from environmental permitting.  The aim of the review is to provide a more risk based and proportionate approach to the regulation of waste recovery and disposal operations, complementing the new environmental permitting regime.

The consultation included a number of proposed measures aimed at increasing the use of exemptions for as wide a range as possible of low risk activities (including most of those operating under an Environment Agency low risk position) whilst removing or restricting the availability of the exemptions for higher risk waste operations by seeking to regulate higher risk operations through one or more standard permits.

The consultation also sought views on a partial impact assessment and a draft set of regulations.

This consultation closed on Thursday 23 October 2008.

The summary of responses to the consultation, including the Government’s response, was published on 11 September 2009 and can be found below.

As a result of the high response to the second consultation and subsequent discussion with stakeholders a decision was made to put back the implementation of the new regulations from October 2009 to the next available opportunity in April 2010.

We are currently inviting comments on draft Environmental Permitting Guidance on exempt waste operations. This consultation commenced on 15 October 2009 and will close on 5 January 2010.

Further information

Page modified: 9 November 2009
Page published: 7 April 2009