T28: sorting and denaturing controlled drugs for disposal
T28 waste exemption allows pharmacies and similar practitioners to denature controlled drugs, to comply with Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. T28 exemptions are free of charge.
Applies to England
Pharmacies and veterinary surgeries are required to sort and denature waste controlled drugs before disposing of them. You need to register a T28 exemption to do this.
Controlled drugs are defined in Schedules 1 to 5 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001.
Types and amounts of waste you can treat
You can:
- store or treat up to 1 cubic metre of waste controlled drugs at any one time
- store waste controlled drugs for up to 6 months
Your waste must fit within the waste codes and descriptions in the table.
Waste codes and descriptions
| Waste code | Type of waste |
|---|---|
| 18 01 09 | Medicines from natal care, diagnosis, treatment or prevention of disease in humans |
| 18 02 08 | Medicines from research, diagnosis, treatment or prevention of disease involving animals |
| 20 01 32 | Medicines separately collected as municipal waste |
Conditions
You must be an authorised person (for example, pharmacist) under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 to register a T28 exemption.
You cannot:
- treat waste drugs that are hazardous waste
- treat waste that was produced somewhere else
- store or treat more than the maximum amount allowed
Registering a T28 exemption
You can register free through the waste exemption service.
Registration rules
You cannot:
- have more than one T28 at a site at the same time
- register a T28 if it’s already been registered at the site by another business
- renew your registration more than one month before the 3-year registration period ends
- store waste that is not included in your exemption
Storing returned or out-of-date drugs
You can use exemption NWFD 4: Temporary storage at a collection point to store returned or out-of-date medicines.
You do not need to register the non-waste framework directive (NWFD) storage exemption. You must still comply with the exemption conditions.
Related guidance
Read the regulatory position statement on Denaturing controlled drugs that have become waste.
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 because you can now register T28 through the digital service. You can no longer register T28 over the phone.
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Updated to say that it is free to register a T28 waste exemption, and you must phone the Environment Agency to register.
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First published.