Guidance

Storing and dismantling waste domestic gas meters: RPS 338

Published 6 June 2025

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2025

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/storing-and-dismantling-waste-domestic-gas-meters-rps-338/storing-and-dismantling-waste-domestic-gas-meters-rps-338

This regulatory position statement (RPS) does not change your legal requirement to have an environmental permit for a waste operation. This applies when you store and dismantle waste domestic gas meters which are not classified as waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). 

However, the Environment Agency will not normally take enforcement action against you if you do not comply with this legal requirement provided that: 

  • your activity meets 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 the storage and dismantling of non-WEEE domestic gas meters only.  

2. Conditions you must comply with 

You must:  

  • only store and dismantle non-WEEE domestic gas meters with waste code 20 01 21, 20 01 35 or 20 01 36 

  • store and dismantle non-WEEE gas meters inside a building with an impermeable site surface and sealed drainage system 

  • store the waste in containers that are fully enclosed and leak-proof 

  • deliver the dismantled mercury containing waste parts to a suitably permitted site  

  • keep records for 3 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 

You must not: 

  • store or dismantle any WEEE waste domestic gas meters 

  • store more than 5000 waste domestic gas meters at any one time 

  • dismantle more than 12,000 waste domestic gas meters per week 

  • store waste for more than 6 months 

3. Things to note 

In this RPS, ‘non-WEEE waste domestic gas meters’ means a domestic gas meter that does not rely on electricity to function. 

This RPS relates to an activity that the Environment Agency considers is potentially suitable to be an exemption under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016. 

4. When you must check back 

The Environment Agency intends to review this RPS by 1 April 2028.  

The Environment Agency can withdraw or amend this regulatory position before the review date if they consider it necessary. This includes where the activity that this RPS relates to has 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.  

This RPS remains in force until it is removed from GOV.UK or is otherwise identified as having been withdrawn. 

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

6. Contact the Environment Agency 

If you have any questions about this RPS email enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk and put RPS 338 in the subject.

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