Guidance

Heat treating waste plastics for reuse: RPS 112

Environment Agency regulatory position on using heat to soften waste plastic as part of the waste treatment process carried out under a T4 or U9 waste exemption.

• From: Environment Agency
• Published: 27 March 2014
• Last updated: 2 December 2025
  Show all updates

  1. 2 December 2025

     Updated the Things to Note section, and extended the review date to 31 December 2027.

  2. 7 August 2024

     Updated the RPS to the new template, and extended the review date to 31 December 2025.

  3. 24 February 2022

     Updated regulatory position statement 112 so it covers heat treatment of waste plastics for reuse (previously small scale heat treatment). Updated the conditions you must comply with. Updated when this RPS will next be reviewed.

  4. 25 November 2020

     We have added the requirement that you must keep records for 2 years that show you have complied with this RPS. We have also changed references to when you can 'apply heat' to 'heat'.

  5. 9 May 2019

     This regulatory position statement has been extended until 30 April 2022.

  6. 12 July 2018

     RPS updated to clarify who can benefit from it, including the type of treatment that can be carried out and the quantities to which it applies. This RPS allows heat to be applied to up to 100 tonnes of suitable plastics per week as part of a treatment process.

  7. 5 December 2017

     This RPS has been revised and extended until 30 April 2019.

  8. 27 March 2014

     First published.

Applies to England

• Publication for Wales

Documents

Heat treating waste plastics for reuse: RPS 112

Ref: LIT 9945

HTML

Details

This regulatory position statement (RPS) does not change your legal requirement to comply with the conditions in a T4 or U9 waste exemption when you:

• undertake preparatory treatments

• use waste to manufacture finished goods under those exemptions   

However, the Environment Agency will not normally take enforcement action if you do not comply with this legal requirement if you meet the requirements in the RPS.

The regulatory position does not apply to any other legal requirements.