Temporary storage at a collection point (NWFD 4 exemption)
This exemption allows you to temporarily store waste at a collection point before recovering or disposing of the waste elsewhere.
About this exemption
Some waste exemptions do not need to be registered. They are called non-waste framework directive (NWFD) exemptions. NWFD exemptions relate to gathering waste and storing it temporarily.
You must comply with the terms and conditions.
You do not pay for this exemption.
NWFD 4 exemption applies to the following examples of business and activity:
- a pharmacy that takes back and stores out-of-date medicines returned by patients, or operates a needle exchange scheme
- a shop that provides a container for customers to deposit waste batteries
- a shop that provides a take-back arrangement for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)
Activities you can carry out
You can:
- only collect and store waste in a secure container at a collection point
- carry out some treatments on the waste to make it easier to store and move
Storage
You can store any waste for up to 3 months.
You can store any waste that does not contain:
- asbestos
- any substance that has a flash point of less than 21°C
You must not mix different types of waste, if you store more than one type.
Amount of waste
At any one time you can store up to:
- 30 cubic metres of WEEE
- 50 cubic metres of non-hazardous waste that is not WEEE that will be recovered elsewhere
- 5 cubic metres of any other waste
Treatment
Treatment must not change the characteristics of the waste.
An example of this would be compacting paper and cardboard, to increase the amount that can be stored in a container.
Activities you cannot carry out
You cannot:
- collect waste as your main business activity
- receive payment for collecting the waste
Contact the Environment Agency
General enquiries
National Customer Contact Centre
PO Box 544
Rotherham
S60 1BY
Email enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk
Telephone 03708 506 506
Telephone from outside the UK (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm GMT) +44 (0) 114 282 5312
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
Updates to this page
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Updated to confirm that you do not need to register or pay for this exemption. Clarifies the conditions. Environment Agency contact details have been added.
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Updated the 'Types of activity you cannot carry out' section to say that, if you store more than one type of waste, the different types must not be mixed.
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First published.