Guidance

Documentation for business waste at take back points: RPS 283

Published 11 September 2023

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2023

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/documentation-for-business-waste-at-take-back-points-rps-283/documentation-for-business-waste-at-take-back-points-rps-283

This regulatory position statement (RPS) does not change your legal requirement to produce waste transfer or consignment notes when you transfer your waste or hazardous waste to a wholesaler or retailer take back collection point. The collection point must be operated in line with the non-waste framework directive (NWFD) exemption 4.

However, the Environment Agency will not normally take enforcement action against you if you do not comply with these legal requirements 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

Activity this RPS applies to

This RPS applies to the:

  • transfer of business waste at a take back collection point operated by a wholesaler or retailer in line with NWFD 4

  • transfer of business waste without a transfer or consignment note to a wholesaler or retailer at the collection point

  • acceptance of business waste by a wholesaler or retailer without a transfer or consignment note at the collection point

A wholesaler or retailer means a distributor supplying business customers with building supplies, electrical equipment and similar, from a physical store and offers the take back of waste items at that store.

Conditions you must comply with

Businesses that deliver waste to the wholesaler or retailer

You must:

  • deposit your business waste at a take back collection point operated by a wholesaler or retailer

  • deposit only the waste types listed by the wholesaler or retailer as suitable for their take back collection point

  • have produced the waste you are depositing at the take back collection point during your own business activities

  • comply with all other waste duty of care requirements

  • 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

You must not:

  • deposit waste produced by any other person or business at the take back collection point

Wholesalers and retailers

You must:

  • supply customers with building supplies, electrical equipment and similar, from a physical store which offers the take back of waste items at that store

  • operate a take back collection point in line with NWFD 4

  • comply with waste duty of care requirements and complete waste transfer notes when waste is removed from your collection points

  • comply with the hazardous waste regulations and consign all hazardous wastes when they are moved from your collection points

Wholesalers

You must not:

  • charge customers for taking back their waste

When you must check back

The Environment Agency will review this RPS by 1 September 2026.

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

You will need to check back from time to time, including at and prior to the review 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.

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 and must tell the Environment Agency immediately. Email us at: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk and put RPS 283 in the subject.

Contact the Environment Agency

General enquiries

National Customer Contact Centre
PO Box 544
Rotherham
S60 1BY

Email enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

Telephone 03708 506 506

Telephone from outside the UK (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm GMT) +44 (0) 114 282 5312

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

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