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Waste recovery sites: how to apply for a pre-consent certificate

Updated 2 April 2024

Applies to England

If you run a waste recovery site with a permit in England and regularly receive shipments of the same waste, you may benefit from having a ‘pre-consent’ certificate.

The advantages are that:

• the notification process is quicker
• consents may last up to 3 years, rather than the standard 12 months

Who can apply

To apply, you must be either:

• the permit holder for the waste recovery site
• someone authorised in writing to apply on behalf of the permit holder for the waste recovery site

The waste recovery site must be in England.

How to apply for a new pre-consent certificate

1. Download and fill in the application form. Contact askshipments@environment-agency.gov.uk if you need help filling in the form.

2. Pay the £819 charge for a new pre-consent application using the details in the international waste shipments: fee payment options.

3. Email your application form and proof of payment to askshipments@environment-agency.gov.uk. You should also send written proof that you’re authorised to apply on behalf of the permit holder for the waste recovery site, if that applies to you.

Or you can post your completed application form, proof of payment and proof of authorisation to:

International Waste Shipments Team
Environment Agency
Richard Fairclough House
Knutsford Road
Warrington
WA4 1HT

How we assess applications

After receiving your application, we will share your application reference number with you.

We will do an initial assessment to check if the application is complete. We will ask you for more information if it’s not.

We will write to you to tell you our decision. This should be within 2 months of us receiving a complete application.

If you are approved

We will issue (send) you a signed pre-consent certificate. The certificate will be valid for up to 10 years from the date we issue it, unless we revoke (cancel) it before then.

We publish a list of pre-consented waste recovery sites.

Making minor changes to a pre-consent certificate

To make a minor change administrative details on a pre-consent certificate, likes names or contact details, follow these steps.

1. Pay the £82 charge for minor changes using the details in the international waste shipments: fee payment options.

2. Email the change you want to make, your pre-consent reference number and proof of payment to askshipments@environment-agency.gov.uk.

We will update the details within 10 working days.

Renewing or changing a pre-consent certificate

To renew or change the waste or recovery process on a pre-consent certificate, follow these steps.

1. Fill in the application form - include your pre-consent reference number.

2. Pay the £819 charge using the details in the international waste shipments: fee payment options.

3. Email your application form and proof of payment to askshipments@environment-agency.gov.uk.

We will assess these applications in the same way and within the same timescales as new pre-consent applications.

Privacy: how we use your information

The Environment Agency is the controller for personal data collected and processed for the waste recovery site pre-consent service. A data controller determines how and why personal data (personal information) is processed.

We use the personal data to regulate you in line with retained Regulation (EC) No. 1013/2006 (‘the Waste Shipments Regulation’).

The personal data we need

The personal data we collect for pre-consent authorisations includes:

• names
• addresses
• contact details

Your responsibilities

If you do not provide us with the information we need, this may stop us processing your application for:

• a new pre-consent certificate
• a renewal or change to a pre-consent certificate

You may be in breach of your conditions of approval if:

• you do not provide us with the information we need
• we find out that some of the information is incorrect

If you have included personal data about any other individuals in your application, you must tell them. You must share this privacy notice with them so that they are aware of how their personal data will be used.

What we do with your personal data

Any personal data that you provide is saved on Environment Agency systems.

We use your personal data to:

• assess your application
• contact you about your application
• provide you with information about pre-consent authorisations

We do not use your personal data to make an automated decision or for automated profiling.

We will share your personal data with the following organisations:

• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• Scottish Environmental Protection Agency
• Natural Resources Wales
• Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Northern Ireland)
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Where your personal data is processed and stored

We store and process your personal data on servers in the UK and the European Economic Area.

The Waste Shipments Regulation requires pre-consent facility information to be provided to an organisation outside of the United Kingdom. For example, a list of pre-consent facilities may be reported to the OECD.

By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing of this information. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely.

How long we keep your personal data

When a pre‐consent authorisation has expired, we keep personal data for another 3 years in line with our standard information retention policy.

If you have any concerns about privacy

Our personal information charter explains:

• how we use personal information
• how to raise a concern or query

Contact us

You can email askshipments@environment-agency.gov.uk if you need help.