Guidance

Storing tyre shred and chip at a port: RPS 238

Updated 15 September 2020

This guidance was withdrawn on 18 June 2021

RPS 238 is no longer valid. There is a standard rules permit for storage of tyres at a port.

Applies to England

This regulatory position statement (RPS) only applies if you apply for a permit to store PAS 107 certified clean cut tyre shred and chip by 29 January 2021.

This RPS will no longer apply if:

• we have issued your permit to store PAS 107 certified clean cut tyre shred and chip, or we refuse your application
• your application is withdrawn

You must remove all tyre shred and chip:

• within 21 days of the date we tell you we have refused your application, or if your application is withdrawn
• by 29 January 2021 if you have not applied for a permit by this date

If you comply with the conditions in this RPS, you can store PAS 107 certified clean cut tyre shred and chip at a port before you export it, without an environmental permit.

This RPS does not apply to any other activity, even if it is under the same legislation. You may still need other permits or licences for other activities you carry out.

Conditions you must comply with

You must:

• have written permission from the port authority
• only store PAS 107 certified clean cut tyre shred and chip in the size range 10 to 300mm, with the European Waste Catalogue code 19 12 04
• only store clean cut tyre shred and chip with incidental exposed wire and less than 5% exposed textiles
• store tyre shred and chip on an impermeable surface with sealed drainage – this must have the capacity to contain fire water
• store tyre shred and chip in a secure area – this means the shred or chip cannot escape and members of the public cannot access it
• have trained staff that can access plant and machinery to move tyre shred and chip when needed, and within 30 minutes of detecting smoke or fire
• carry out weekly monitoring of the surface and internal temperature of the stacks
• have a written plan that includes all appropriate measures to prevent fire, detect fire early, extinguish and stop fire from spreading and contain fire water
• have 24 hour security

You must not:

• store more than 5,000 tonnes of tyre shred and chip at any one time
• store more than 3,000m³ (around 1,500 tonnes) of clean cut tyre shred and chip in any one storage stack
• store more than 5m of tyre shred and chip in stack height
• locate tyre shred and chip stacks within 6m of each other without using a suitable fire wall with a 1m freeboard – measure the 1m freeboard from the top of the stack and the top of the firewall, and from the leading edge of the stack to the front of the firewall
• store tyre shred and chip for more than 3 months

You must make sure that your activities do not endanger human health or the environment. You 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

Notification requirements

To use this RPS, before you take tyre shred to a port to store it, you must email both:

• annex.seven@environment-agency.gov.uk
• WasteTreatment@environment-agency.gov.uk

Put ‘Storing tyre shred at a port: RPS 238’ in your email title.

Include all of the following information in your email:

• your completed Annex VII notification for the shipment
• a copy of your PAS 107 certificate for the shipment
• the name, address, phone number and email address of the company responsible for storing the tyre shred and chip
• the name, position, phone number and email address of a designated contact within the company
• the full postal address of the site where you will store the tyre shred and chip
• the date you intend to start storing the tyre shred and chip

Enforcement

An RPS means that the Environment Agency will not normally take enforcement action against you provided:

• your activity meets the description set out in this RPS
• you comply with the conditions set out in this RPS
• your activity does not, and is not likely to, cause environmental pollution or harm human health

When to check back

This RPS applies until 30 June 2021. After this date you must have an environmental permit to store PAS 107 certified tyre shred and chip.

Contact

General enquiries

National Customer Contact Centre
PO Box 544
Rotherham
S60 1BY

Email enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

Telephone 03708 506 506

Telephone from outside the UK (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm GMT) +44 (0) 114 282 5312

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.