EA information for Waste Sector regarding Brexit

As we approach the end of the EU Transition period on the 1 January 2021 the Environment Agency (EA) have issued a reminder of their key messages. They also ask if you could report any issues or trends you notice to them via this email address ([email protected])  to improve their intelligence and allow us to act where needed. Please also let us at REA know of any issues so we can log them and take action on your behalf if needed.

• Your permit or licence still applies and you are expected to continue to meet its conditions.
• You should make a plan in case there are any disruptions ports:
• • Review your own capacity and how long you can store waste on your site
  • Identify alternative storage facilities that could accept your waste
  • Assess if there are other export routes to market that avoid impacted ports
  • Identify any alternative recovery or disposal routes for your waste
• Your contingency plans need to be compatible with the requirements on your permit. If you are unable to make adequate contingency plans you should contact the Environment Agency for advice.
• If you have additional waste on site for longer than expected, you will need to consider any additional environmental risks and make sure that these are properly controlled and mitigated.
• Existing validated consents to export waste to EU member states remain valid, unless you have been told otherwise.
• If you move waste from Great Britain to Northern Ireland you will be required to treat this as an export and follow waste export rules. The implementation date for this has yet to be announced.
• If you export plastic waste you should familiarise yourself with the new rules relating to the Basel convention and ensure you have the correct waste export permissions in place.