Guidance

Storing and treating waste artificial turf: RPS 279

Published 27 April 2023

This guidance was withdrawn on 10 January 2024

The Environment Agency has withdrawn this regulatory position statement.

If you want to store and treat waste artificial turf you will need an environmental permit.

Applies to England

This regulatory position statement (RPS) does not change your legal requirement to have an environmental permit for a waste operation when you store and treat waste artificial turf.

However, the Environment Agency will not normally take enforcement action against you if 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 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 treating:

• waste artificial turf (waste code 17 09 04) and associated sand and rubber infill
• rubber shock pads
• used athletic tracks consisting of rubber and polyurethane

2. Conditions you must comply with

If you want to use this RPS you must send the Environment Agency an environmental permit application by 1 September 2023.

You will not be able to continue to use this RPS if your permit application is either:

• refused
• returned to you as incomplete (not ‘duly made’)

You must notify the Environment Agency by email before you use this RPS, use RPS 279 as the email subject.

Email wastetreatment@environment-agency.gov.uk with:

• your site address
• your contact details (name, company name and company number, email address and phone number)

You must store and treat the waste on an impermeable pavement with a sealed drainage system to minimise the loss of microplastics. If you do not have this you will need to install it by 1 November 2023.

A sealed drainage system means a drainage system with impermeable components which does not leak. It must make sure that:

• no liquid runs off the surface, it only runs through the system
• all liquids entering the system are collected in a sealed sump, unless you can lawfully discharge them to a foul sewer

You must also:

• store and treat the waste in a secure place – secure means that the waste cannot escape, and unauthorised people cannot access it

• only treat the waste by separation, washing, shredding, sorting, baling and compacting

• keep records to show that you have complied with this RPS and make these records available to the Environment Agency on request

You must not:

• store more than 1,000 tonnes of waste at any one time

• store any waste for longer than 12 months

• treat more than 100 tonnes of waste over any 7 day period

• register or operate waste exemptions on the same site as this RPS

3. When you must check back

The Environment Agency will review this RPS by 1 May 2024.

The Environment Agency can withdraw or amend this RPS 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.

4. 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 and must tell the Environment Agency immediately.

5. Contact the Environment Agency

If you have any questions about this RPS email wastetreatment@environment-agency.gov.uk.