Receiving hazardous waste wood at household waste recycling centres: RPS 249
Updated 13 March 2024
Applies to England
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This regulatory position statement (RPS) applies to household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) only.
It allows HWRCs to accept, from householders, the small amount of certain waste wood types that would test as hazardous. You can store this waste with non-hazardous household waste wood under your existing environmental permit. You can classify this mixed waste wood as non-hazardous and move it under a waste transfer note.
Conditions you must comply with
You can only use this RPS for:
- fence posts
- decking
Mixed household waste wood sent from HWRCs must be destined for one of the following:
- an Industrial Emissions Directive Chapter IV compliant permitted incinerator or co-incinerator
- the manufacture of engineered or composite board
Enforcement
An RPS means that the Environment Agency will not normally take enforcement action against you provided:
- your activity meets the description set out in this RPS
- you comply with the conditions set out in this RPS
- your activity does not, and is not likely to, cause environmental pollution or harm human health
When to check back
We will withdraw this RPS by 30 September 2024. This RPS will give the waste wood industry time:
- to finish the agreed sampling and testing programme that hazardous waste wood in household waste wood is no longer present
- if hazardous waste wood is present, to apply for a permit variation to handle hazardous waste wood
After this RPS is withdrawn, you must segregate hazardous waste wood and consign it as hazardous.
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.