D7: burning plant and untreated wood waste where it's produced
Businesses such as joiners, gardeners and farmers can burn their own untreated wood and plant waste on a bonfire, at the place it was produced.
Applies to England
There’s a charge for most waste exemptions
This exemption is in band 3. Read waste exemption charges to find out what the charges and charging bands are.
Activities you can do
You can burn certain types of waste on a bonfire, at the place you produced it.
Examples of businesses with activities that might need a D7 exemption are:
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landscape gardener or farmer - burning hedge trimmings and branches on a bonfire, at the place where they were cut down
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joiner - burning untreated wood shavings produced in creating a wooden structure in the workshop
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furniture maker - burning sawdust from untreated wood produced during manufacturing
Untreated means it has not been preserved, varnished, coated, painted or exposed to chemicals.
Householders burning their own garden waste do not need to register this exemption.
Types of waste you can burn
Your waste must match the waste code and description.
| Waste code | Type of waste |
|---|---|
| 02 01 03 02 01 07 20 02 01 |
Plant tissue |
| 03 01 05 | Sawdust, shavings and cuttings from untreated wood only (untreated means never been exposed to chemicals) |
| 03 03 01 | Waste bark and wood |
Amounts you can burn and store
You can:
- burn up to 10 tonnes of waste in any 24-hour period
- store up to 20 tonnes of waste that you intend to burn, at any one time
- store waste for up to 6 months before burning, to allow it to dry out
Conditions
You must only burn waste:
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at the place you produced it
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outside on open land where the smoke and smell will not be a nuisance to neighbours
You cannot use a D7 exemption to:
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bring waste from somewhere else to burn on your site
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burn waste in an incinerator for disposal (see related exemptions)
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burn waste in a boiler to produce heat and power (see related exemptions)
Check if you need other permits
You will need an environmental permit or a different exemption if you want to burn waste that is not listed in this exemption, or more than the amount of waste allowed.
Register a D7 waste exemption
You must register with the Environment Agency.
You can register and pay through the waste exemption service.
Charities register by phone
Charities and organisations that work only for charitable purposes do not have to pay for waste exemptions. If you’re a charity, you’ll need to call the Environment Agency to register free of charge.
Registration rules
You cannot:
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have more than one D7 at the same site, at the same time
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register an exemption if it’s already registered at the site by another business
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renew your registration more than one month before the 3-year registration period ends
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register a separate storage exemption to increase the storage limit
Charges for registering a D7 exemption
See waste exemptions charges for details.
D7 has a band 3 compliance charge.
There’s a registration charge to register one or more exemptions at a time.
Farmer charges
Farmers pay a capped charge to register any number of exemptions from a list of exemptions that farmers often use. D7 is on this list of farming exemptions.
Read waste exemptions guidance in full.
Charities
Charities and organisations that work only for charitable purposes do not pay for waste exemptions.
Related exemptions
The following activities are better for the environment than burning waste on a bonfire:
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U4: burning waste as fuel in a small appliance allows you to burn untreated wood waste in a boiler to produce heat and power
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T23: aerobic composting allows you to compost plant tissue
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T6: treating waste wood and plant matter allows you to chip, shred, pulverise and cut untreated waste wood
You can burn waste in an incinerator under D6: disposal by incineration.
Contact the Environment Agency
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.
Updates to this page
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Updated with a link to new guidance about charges and charging bands for waste exemptions. The title and content have been amended to improve clarity about registration and exemption conditions.
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Updated the message at the start to say changes to exemptions are expected to start in 2025 but that timescales have not been finalised.
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We have added information about changes to this waste exemption that are likely to happen during 2024 to 2025.
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First published.