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  • Temporary storage of waste at a place owned or occupied by the producer

Temporary storage of waste at a place owned or occupied by the producer

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This activity applies to the temporary storage of waste at a place owned or occupied by the waste producer.

Authorisation level

General Binding Rule (GBR)

Rules

The temporary storage of waste at a place owned or occupied by the waste producer is covered by General Binding Rules. If you intend to carry out this activity, and you comply with the rules set out below, your activity will be authorised. You don’t need to apply to SEPA for an authorisation.

If you carry out an activity under this authorisation you must comply with the rules. It is an offence if you do not comply with the rules.

If you cannot comply with the rules, you will need a different type of authorisation.

General Binding Rule (GBR) for temporary storage of waste at a place owned or occupied by the producer

  1. the storage and any treatment of waste must not be carried on in the course of providing a waste management service to another person,

  2. the waste must be stored in a secure place such that—

    1. all reasonable precautions must be taken to ensure that the waste cannot escape from the place where it is stored, and
    2. members of the public are unable to gain access to the waste,

  3. where more than one type of waste is stored, the different types of waste must not be mixed,

  4. the waste must not be stored at that place for more than 12 months,

  5. the total amount of solid waste stored at any one time must not exceed 50 cubic metres,

  6. the total amount of liquid waste stored at any one time must not exceed 5,000 litres,

  7. liquid waste must be stored in a container which is of sufficient strength and structural integrity to ensure that it is unlikely to burst or leak in its ordinary use,

  8. any treatment of the waste must only be carried out to facilitate storage and onward transport of that waste for recovery or disposal,

  9. where more than 200 litres of waste oil is stored, storage must comply with the rules for activity 28 in Chapter 2.

Help and guidance

What can I do?

Wastes produced as part of normal business can be brought back to a central location for storage prior to collection by a waste contractor.

Carry out basic treatment activities to facilitate storage and onward transport.

Examples include:

  • A tradesman generates waste during a job and brings it back to their yard to put in a skip.
  • A doctor or vet produces healthcare waste during home visits and returns it to their practice.
  • A mechanic produces tyres, oil, car parts and batteries during roadside repairs and brings wastes back to their garage for placing in designated containers.
  • A tree surgeon produces brash and brings it back to their yard for temporary storage.
  • A local authority takes used fluorescent tubes from schools back to a central point for collection.
  • A retailer backhauls cardboard to their central distribution hub for bailing.

What are the conditions?

The waste producer must own or occupy the place of storage.

The storage and any treatment of waste must not be carried on in the course of providing a waste management service to another person. For example, this GBR does not apply to the storage of waste:

  • At a waste recovery or disposal site.
  • Collected from commercial refuse collections.
  • Tyres collected from garages.

No more than 50 cubic metres of solid waste can be stored at any one time.

No more than 5 cubic metres of liquid waste can be stored at any one time.

Waste must be stored securely.

Where more than one type of waste is stored, the different types of waste must not be mixed.

Liquid waste must be stored in a container which is of sufficient strength and structural integrity to ensure that it is unlikely to burst or leak in its ordinary use.

Where more than 200 litres of waste oil are stored, storage must comply with the rules for Water - GBR 28: All other storage of oil.

Waste must not be stored for more than 12 months.

What else do I need to know?

Secure storage means all reasonable precautions are taken to ensure waste cannot escape and prevent unauthorised access to the waste by members of the public, livestock and wild animals. This includes preventing litter.

You can carry out some basic treatment activities to make waste you have produced easier to store and transport for recovery or disposal somewhere else. Examples include:

  • Compacting paper or cans to facilitate less frequent collections and easier loading.
  • Separating recyclables into separate storage containers.
  • De-watering food waste prior to collection of the solid fraction.
  • Crushing oil filters or aerosol cans in specially designed equipment.

Treatment operations which change the characteristics of the waste such as composting, Anaerobic Digestion, incineration are not authorised by this GBR.

If you are transporting your own waste, you must be registered for the transport of waste.

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