Guidance

Imports of UK origin naturally occurring radioactive material waste to England: RPS 323

Published 14 November 2024

Applies to England

This regulatory position statement (RPS) does not change your legal requirement to obtain prior informed consent from all competent authorities concerned under Waste Shipments Regulation EC 1013/2006 when you import UK origin naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) waste to England. 

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 and the circumstances meet 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 to shipments of UK origin NORM waste to England. This may include for example, insoluble scale removed from decommissioned oil and gas production equipment.

2. Circumstances in which this RPS applies

This RPS applies when:

• UK origin waste streams which are contaminated with NORM waste have been exported from the UK for treatment in another country

• the overseas treatment produces quantities of UK origin NORM waste which should be repatriated to the UK according to UK policy on radioactive waste and the UK strategy for the management of NORM waste  

• consent under retained Waste Shipments Regulation EC 1013/2006 cannot be obtained because the waste is treated as radioactive waste in the exporting country and subject to that country’s regulatory controls for the shipment of radioactive waste

• the shipment has been authorised under the exporting country’s regulatory controls for the shipment of radioactive wastes

• the Environment Agency has consented to the shipment as part of the exporting country’s authorisation process

3. Conditions you must comply with

You must provide the Environment Agency with a copy of the approval or consent issued by the competent authority of the exporting country under their domestic legislation controlling the shipment of radioactive waste. You should email this to askshipments@environment-agency.gov.uk.

You must:

• carry out the shipment in accordance with the documentation submitted to the competent authority of the exporting country under their domestic legislation controlling the shipment of radioactive waste

• ship the waste to a facility in England which is authorised to accept it

• keep records for 2 years from the date of the last use of the RPS to show that you have complied with this RPS and make these records available to the Environment Agency on request

4. When you must check back

The Environment Agency intends to review this RPS by 17 October 2027.

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

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

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

This RPS remains in force until it is removed from GOV.UK or is otherwise identified as having 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 and must tell the Environment Agency immediately using the contact details under the ‘Contact’ heading.

6. Contact the Environment Agency

If you have any questions about this RPS email askshipments@environment-agency.gov.uk and put RPS 323 in the subject.