Statutory guidance

Accepting metal shredder residues and post shredder treatment residues at landfills: RPS 314

Published 2 October 2024

Applies to England

This regulatory position statement (RPS) does not change your legal requirement to comply with an environmental permit for a landfill when you accept hazardous metal shredder residues (MSR) and hazardous post shredder treatment residues (PSTR) for disposal.

However, the Environment Agency will not normally take enforcement action against you if you do not comply with this legal requirement provided that:

• your activity meets the description set out in this RPS
• you comply with the conditions set out in this RPS

In addition, your activity must not cause (or be likely to cause) pollution of the environment or harm to human health, and must not:

• cause a risk to water, air, soil, plants or animals
• cause a nuisance through noise or odours
• adversely affect the countryside or places of special interest

1. Activity this RPS applies to

This RPS applies when you accept hazardous MSR coded as 19 10 03* or 19 10 05* (or both) and PSTR coded as 19 12 11* for disposal at a landfill for non-hazardous waste.

2. Conditions you must comply with

You must:

• tell the Environment Agency before you use this RPS email landfill.depositrecovery@environment-agency.gov.uk and include:
  • your site address
  • your permit number
  • ‘RPS 314 – MSR and PSTR’ in the subject

• keep records for 3 years to show that you have complied with this RPS and make these records available to the Environment Agency on request

• record the landfill cell location of the waste deposit – see guidance on how to consign hazardous waste

You must not accept any MSR coded as 19 10 04 or 19 10 06 (or both), or PSTR coded as 19 12 12 for disposal unless there is evidence that it is non-hazardous waste through sampling and characterisation in line with technical guidance WM3.

3. Things to note

MSR means the residual output from the shredding of metal containing wastes, including depolluted end of life vehicles (sometimes referred to as automotive shredder residues).

PSTR means the residual output from the further treatment of metal shredder residues. 

You can deposit the MSR and PSTR at your landfill with other non-hazardous wastes. You do not need to deposit it in a separate cell.

You must move hazardous MSR and PSTR waste under a consignment note. You need to add RPS 314 and your site postcode in the permit field of the consignee return.

The previous RPS 197 relating to the classification and disposal of metal shredder residues into landfill has been withdrawn.

4. When you must check back

The Environment Agency intends to withdraw this RPS on 31 March 2026.

The Environment Agency can withdraw or amend this regulatory position before the intended withdrawal date if they consider it necessary. This includes where the activity that this RPS relates to have not changed.

You will need to check back from time to time, including at and before the withdrawal date, to see if this RPS still applies.

This RPS remains in force until it is removed from GOV.UK or is otherwise identified as having been withdrawn.

You can subscribe to email updates about this RPS. These will tell you if the RPS has changed and when it has been withdrawn.

5. If you cannot comply with this RPS

If you operate under this RPS but can no longer comply with it, you must:

• stop the activity to which this RPS relates
• tell the local Environment Agency officer that regulates your landfill immediately

6. Contact the Environment Agency

Use the contact information you hold for your local Environment Agency officer. If you do not have these details, email enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk and put ‘RPS 314 – MSR and PSTR’ in the subject.