Guidance

Storing and spreading gypsum waste to benefit land: RPS 369

Published 8 May 2026

Applies to England

This regulatory position statement (RPS) does not change your legal requirement to:

• have an environmental permit where one is required
• comply with the conditions of your environmental permit
• register an activity as exempt where you are required to do so

However, the Environment Agency will not normally take enforcement action against you if you do not comply with these legal requirements 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 storing and spreading the following waste gypsum to benefit land:

• solid flue gas desulphurisation gypsum (waste code 10 01 05)
• recycled certified gypsum from plasterboard (waste code 19 12 12)

2. Conditions you must comply with

You must:

• register a U10 waste exemption (spreading waste to benefit agricultural land) or a U11 waste exemption (spreading waste on non-agricultural land)
• store waste gypsum in a secure place
• store or spread waste gypsum at least 10 metres from any watercourse
• store and spread waste gypsum at least 50 metres from any spring, well or borehole
• only spread flue gas desulphurisation gypsum (solid) and recycled certified gypsum from plasterboard to benefit land
• only store up to 30 tonnes of waste gypsum at any one time
• only spread up to one tonne of waste gypsum per hectare over any 12-month period
• only store waste gypsum for up to 12 months before spreading
• keep records for 2 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:

• spread waste gypsum on land that has been frozen for 12 hours or more in the preceding 24 hours
• spread waste gypsum on land that is waterlogged, frozen or covered in snow

3. Things to note

Certified gypsum from plasterboard is gypsum that is certified by the manufacturer or supplier to have been produced in accordance with PAS 109.

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. A change in law would be required for this.

4. When you must check back

The Environment Agency intends to review this RPS by 1 May 2029.

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. Use the ‘Get emails about this page’ feature on the RPS publication page.

5. If you cannot comply with this RPS

If you operate under this RPS but can no longer comply with it, you must:

• stop the activity to which this RPS relates
• tell the Environment Agency immediately by contacting enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk with RPS 369 in the subject

6. Contact the Environment Agency

If you have any questions about this RPS, email enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk with RPS 369 in the subject.