Guidance

Relaxing certain waste regulatory requirements for volunteers and waste sites involved in voluntary litter collection: RPS 212

Updated 25 March 2021

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relaxing-certain-waste-regulatory-requirements-for-volunteers-and-waste-sites-involved-in-voluntary-litter-collection-rps-212/relaxing-certain-waste-regulatory-requirements-for-volunteers-and-waste-sites-involved-in-voluntary-litter-collection-rps-212

Litter collection campaigns take place regularly throughout England. These are usually run by volunteers who collect plastics, cans and other litter from their local environment and take it to their local household waste site. Members of the public also regularly collect litter and take it to local household waste sites.

Many household waste sites have permits that do not allow them to accept this litter. The waste regulations also require people transporting other people’s waste to register as a waste carrier and complete a waste transfer note.

The Environment Agency recognises the value of voluntary litter collections and their benefit to communities and the environment. They have issued this regulatory position statement (RPS) that sets out their regulatory approach to certain aspects of voluntary litter collection.

Litter collection volunteers must comply with the duty of care in section 34 (1) (a) and (b) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

This RPS allows:

  • litter collection volunteers to take any waste from that activity to a temporary storage or household waste site without registering as a waste carrier or completing a waste transfer note

  • sites allocated by litter collection volunteers as temporary sorting and storage areas for the litter to not be permitted or registered as exempt under the Environmental Permitting Regulations, providing that the litter:

    • is stored securely – the litter must not be allowed to escape or be accessed by members of the public
    • is not stored for more than 5 days before removal to a household waste site
    • does not include hazardous waste
    • does not exceed 10 tonnes
  • sites holding permits which do not allow them to accept litter under European Waste Catalogue (EWC) code 20 03 03, to take litter for recycling or disposal from voluntary litter collection

You must make sure that your activity does not endanger human health or the environment.

You 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

Enforcement

A RPS means that the Environment Agency will not normally take enforcement action against you if:

  • your activities meet the description set out in this RPS
  • you comply with the conditions set out in this RPS
  • your activities do not, and are not likely to, cause environmental pollution or harm human health

When to check back

This RPS will be reviewed by 1 March 2024. You will need to check back then to see if it still applies.

Contact

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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