Waste carriers and brokers
If you transport waste or arrange for its transport as part of your business, you must register with SEPA—even if it's occasional. Failure to register may result in a fine of up to £5,000.
Who needs to register?
- Waste Carrier: You transport waste yourself.
- Waste Broker: You arrange for waste to be transported by others.
- Combined Carrier/Broker: You do both.
Registration requirements
- Transporting waste between Scotland, England and Wales: Register with one agency only.
- Transporting waste to and from Northern Ireland: Register with SEPA and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
Prescribed offences
If any of the following has an unspent conviction for a 'prescribed offence' you must discuss your registration with a SEPA officer.
- You (the business owner, partnership or company)
- An employee in your business
- An officer in your business
- An organisation in which an officer in your business is/was an officer
(When we say "an officer" we mean a director, manager, secretary or similar officer of a company; or a partner in a firm).
- Section 22 of the Public Health (Scotland) Act 1897
- Section 95(1) of the Public Health Act 1936
- Section 60 of the Transport Act 1968
- Sections 3, 5(6), 16(4), 18(2), 31(1), 32(1), 34(5), 78, 92(6) and 93(3) of the Control of Pollution Act 1974
- Section 2 of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978
- The Control of Pollution (Special Waste) Regulations 1980
- Section 9(1) of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985
- The Transfrontier Shipment of Hazardous Waste Regulations 1988
- The Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Garbage) Regulations 1988
- Sections 1, 5, 6(9) and 7(3) of the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989
- Sections 107, 118(4) and 175(1) of the Water Act 1989
- Sections 23(1), 33, 34(6)44, 47(6), 57(5), 59(5), 63(2), 69(9), 70(4), 71(3) and 80(4) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990
- The Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 1994
- The Special Waste Regulations 1996
- The Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000
- The Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012
- The Hazardous Waste (Wales) Regulations 2005
- The Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005
- The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010
How to register or renew your existing registration
Online application
- Fastest method
- Automatically receive your registration by email
Downloadable form
- Receive a PDF of your certificate of registration by return email within 60 days
- Applying using the downloadable form is required for NHS hospital boards
- Submit your form via email
Download the application form (pdf 239kB)
Fees
| Registration type | New registration | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Carrier or Broker | £291 | £184 |
| Combined Carrier and Broker | £582 | £368 |
After you register
- If you use our online application system to apply, you will automatically receive your registration by email.
- If you apply using the downloadable form, you will receive a PDF of your certificate of registration by return email within 60 days.
- Your registration will be valid for three years, after which you can renew it for a reduced fee.
- Your registration will be added to the Public Register
You can check our list of registered waste carriers or contact us directly to search for details of any currently registered carrier or broker. If you're unable to find the registration you're looking for, please get in touch.
Please note: we arere currently unable to access some waste carrier and broker documentation on our public register and may not be able to provide any documentation regarding authorised sites or ongoing applications.