Guidance

Storing and treating filter bed media: RPS 322

Published 14 January 2025

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2025

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/storing-and-treating-filter-bed-media-rps-322/storing-and-treating-filter-bed-media-rps-322

This regulatory position statement (RPS) does not change your legal requirement to have an environmental permit for a waste operation when you treat waste filter bed media at water and waste water treatment works.

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

Activity this RPS applies to

This RPS applies to operators who treat solid waste from waste filter bed media at water and waste water treatment works.

Conditions you must comply with

You must only store and treat the following waste filter bed media from water and waste water treatment works:

  • waste stone and shingle filter bed media (waste code 17 05 04)
  • waste sand filter bed media (waste code 01 04 09)
  • blast furnace slag filter bed media (waste code 10 02 01)
  • mixed stone and blast furnace slag filter bed media (waste codes 17 05 04 and 10 02 01)
  • ceramic filter bed media from waste water treatment works (waste code 17 01 03)
  • plastic filter bed media from waste water treatment works (waste code 17 02 03)

You must also code the waste under 19 08 05 if it is contaminated by biofilm, sludge or sewage. You do not need to code the waste under 19 08 05 if you have effectively removed all the biofilm, sludge and sewage.

You must only:

  • wash filter bed media within the curtilage of a water or waste water treatment works
  • wash sewage treatment works waste filter bed media using final effluent or potable water
  • treat the waste filter bed media on an impermeable pavement with sealed drainage where the wash waters are drained back into the head of the works
  • store and treat waste filter bed media in a secure place – one where you have taken all reasonable precautions to prevent waste escaping and where members of the public cannot access it

When you must check back

The Environment Agency will review this RPS by 13 January 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.

If you cannot comply with this RPS

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

Contact the Environment Agency

If you have any questions about this RPS, email enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk with RPS 322 in the subject.

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