Deciding if you are a waste carrier, broker or dealer
Choosing upper or lower tier
Register in the lower tier if you:
- transport waste produced by yourself provided it's not construction or demolition waste. For example, you might be a gardener taking green waste or a carpet fitter taking away old carpet
- are a charity or voluntary organisation
- are a waste collection, disposal and/or regulation authority
- are a carrier, broker or dealer who only handles animal by-products, waste from a mine or quarry or waste from agricultural premises
Register in the upper tier if you:
- transport construction or demolition waste
- transport waste created by someone else, for example scrap collectors taking waste from people's houses
- are a broker or dealer - except if you deal only in animal by-products, waste from a mine or quarry or waste from agricultural premises which are lower tier activities, or you are a charity/ voluntary organisation or a waste collection, disposal and or regulation/authority
Deciding if you are a waste carrier, broker or dealer
Examples of waste carriers
| Who | Activity | Need to register | Upper or Lower Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Builders | Carrying construction and demolition waste that you have removed eg sinks, baths | Yes | Upper |
| Carpet fitters | Laying new carpet and carrying away the old carpet or removing off-cuts | Yes | Lower |
| Electricians and plumbers | Carrying construction and demolition waste that you have removed eg sinks, baths | Yes | Upper |
| Electricians and plumbers | Carrying away off-cuts of pipes for example, but not construction and demolition waste | Yes | Lower |
| Chimney sweeps | Carrying ashes you have removed from chimneys | Yes | Lower |
| Fencing contractors | Carrying away fences you have removed (fences are considered construction waste) | Yes | Upper |
| Gardeners, landscapers, tree surgeons | Carrying away shrubs and green wastes you have removed | Yes | Lower |
| Gardeners, landscapers, tree surgeons | Carrying away construction waste that you have removed | Yes | Upper |
| Holiday lets | Transporting waste produced by yourself, provided it's not construction or demolition waste. For example, you might be a gardener taking away green waste, or a carpet fitter taking away old carpet | Yes | Lower |
| House clearance | Carrying away waste removed from houses | Yes | Upper |
| Scrap dealers | Collecting and carrying away waste from houses/businesses | Yes | Upper |
| Householders | Taking your or other people’s waste (without profit) to a Local Authority site | No | N/A |
| Nurses and healthcare workers | Carrying waste produced as a result of your care | Yes | Lower |
| Nurses and healthcare workers, including pharmacies | Providing a service to carry away waste produced by patients not as a result of their care activities and not as part of the business or for profit | No | N/A |
| Mobile mechanic | Removing waste produced as a result of your work | Yes | Lower |
| Mobile mechanic | Removing waste that was produced by someone else | Yes | Upper |
| Police, fire service, ambulances | Removing waste but not as a business or for profit | No | N/A |
| Wheelie bin cleaners | Removing and carrying away waste from the bin | Yes | Upper |
| Wheelie bin cleaners | Only carrying waste waters from the washings produced during cleaning | Yes | Lower |
| Lower tier waste carrier organisations | Carrying construction and demolition waste | Yes | Lower |
| Lower tier registrants by virtue of waste types | Carrying waste other than agricultural waste, mines and quarries or animal by-products | Yes | Upper |
| Anyone carrying samples of a non-waste | For any reason, including to determine whether it is waste | No | N/A – not waste |
| Anyone carrying samples of waste that are produced by someone else or are construction and demolition | For any reason | Yes | Upper |
| Tyre fitters | Replacing and carrying away old tyres | Yes | Lower |
| Any tradesman/ woman | Normally and regularly carrying waste you have produced that is not construction or demolition waste | Yes | Lower |
| Any tradesman/ woman | Carrying waste you have produced that is not on a normal or regular basis | No | N/A |
Note that if your usual business practice is to carry waste then you must register, even if you do it infrequently.
Examples of brokers and dealers
| Who | Activity | Need to register | Upper or lower tier | Broker and/or dealer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police | Directing waste to be disposed of | No | N/A | N/A |
| Letting Agency/shopping centre managers | Arranging for removal of waste from rented accommodation/premises | Yes | Upper | Broker |
| Local Health Board | Arranging for disposal of waste from surgeries | Yes | Upper | Broker |
| Waste exchange | Providing a forum for people to freely seek and buy or sell wastes | No | N/A | N/A |
| Waste exchange | Taking actions to direct the fate of waste ie bringing waste and people together | Yes | Upper | Broker |
| Waste exchange |
Using an agent to buy waste and subsequently selling it |
Yes |
Upper |
Broker & Dealer |
You do not need to have physically taken possession of the waste at any time to register as a broker or dealer.
You can choose any or all of the three types of activity.
Waste definitions
Construction and demolition waste
Construction and demolition waste can come from preparatory work, improvement, repair or alteration.
It includes any items that were part of, or had been, an infrastructure. It also includes waste from the exploration or extraction of mineral resources.
Common examples of construction and demolition waste include baths, sinks, toilets, doors, fences, paths, concrete posts, rubble, walls, brick work, pipe work, wiring, plasterboard, radiators, sinks, windows.
Animal by-products
Animal by-products are animal carcasses, parts of carcass or products of animal origin that are not intended for human consumption.
Waste from agricultural premises
Agricultural premises is defined as land used for horticulture, growing fruit, growing seed, dairy farming, livestock breeding and keeping, grazing land, meadow land, osier land (growing willow), market gardens and nursery grounds.
It also includes woodlands where that use is to support the use of land for other agricultural purposes.
This definition includes all arable farming.
Not all activities where animals are kept are classed as agricultural. Riding stables, equine centres, kennels, animal parks and ornamental fish producers are not classed as agricultural premises. Waste from these premises would not qualify you to register in the lower tier.
Register or renew
Read more about registering or renewing as a waste carrier, broker or dealer.