Guidance

Storing, treating and sterilising waste coir: RPS 303

Published 11 September 2024

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/storing-treating-and-sterilising-waste-coir-rps-303/storing-treating-and-sterilising-waste-coir-rps-303

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 coir (coconut fibre, waste code 02 01 03) by:

  • screening
  • shredding
  • cutting
  • sorting
  • heat sterilisation

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 storing waste coir and treating it by screening, shredding, cutting, sorting and heat sterilisation.

2. Conditions you must comply with

You must:

  • remove all leaves from the waste coir before you treat it
  • store the waste coir on an impermeable surface
  • treat the waste coir within a building
  • 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:

  • store and treat more than 100 tonnes of waste coir at any one time
  • store the waste coir where it is treated for more than 3 months before or after treatment
  • treat any waste coir under this RPS that has had any chemicals added to it within the previous 4 weeks

3. Things to note

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 will review this RPS by 30 June 2027

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.

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 These will tell you if the RPS has changed and when it has been withdrawn.

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

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