Guidance

Heat treatment of waste plastics for reuse: RPS 112

Updated 24 February 2022

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/small-scale-heat-treatment-of-waste-plastics-for-recovery/small-scale-heat-treatment-of-waste-plastics-for-reuse-rps-112

This regulatory position statement (RPS) is about the treatment of waste plastic using heat under:

This RPS does not change your legal obligation to:

However, if you follow the conditions in this RPS, the Environment Agency will not normally take enforcement action against if you heat waste plastic under a T4 or U9 waste exemption.

If you follow the conditions in this RPS, you will be treated as if you hold an environmental permit when you apply for accreditation as a reprocessor of packaging waste under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 (as amended)

Conditions you must comply with

You must:

  • register waste exemption T4 if you’re relying on a T4 exemption, or register waste exemption U9 if you’re relying on a U9 exemption
  • comply with all the conditions and limitations in the T4 or U9 exemption except for the restriction relating to heat
  • heat waste plastic as part of an extrusion process
  • not heat more than 100 tonnes of waste plastic a week
  • treat only non-brominated plastics, or plastics that have been treated to remove brominated plastics before being accepted on site
  • keep records for 2 years that show you have complied with this RPS – you must make these records available to the Environment Agency on request

You must make sure that your activity does not and is not likely to cause environmental pollution or harm human health.

The way you heat waste plastic 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

When to check back

This RPS will be reviewed by 30 April 2024. You’ll need to check back then to see if it still applies or if you need to apply for a permit.

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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