U10: spreading waste to benefit agricultural land
U10 exemption lets you spread certain wastes on agricultural land to improve soil, instead of using manufactured fertilisers or virgin materials.
Applies to England
There’s a charge for most waste exemptions
This exemption is in band 2. Read waste exemption charges to find out what the charges and charging bands are.
1. Activities you can carry out
You can spread certain types of waste on agricultural land to improve or maintain the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil for growing crops.
Agricultural land includes land used to produce timber and other non-food crops.
You must follow the exemption conditions, including specific conditions and requirements for certain types of waste.
Find out more about landspreading to improve soil health.
2. Activities you cannot carry out
You cannot:
- spread waste that does not benefit the land
- spread more waste than you need to benefit the land – any excess is classed as disposal
- spread waste on non-agricultural land - see U11 in ‘Related exemptions’ section
3. Types and amounts of waste you can use
The waste you store and spread must fit within the waste codes and descriptions in the table.
The amount you can spread is given in tonnes per hectare per year. The amount you can store is given in tonnes.
Some of these waste types must first be treated under a different exemption or under certain environmental permits before you can use them.
See section 6 ‘Waste types that must be treated under another exemption or permit’ for full details.
| Waste code | Type of waste | Amount you can spread per hectare (tonnes per year) | Storage limit (tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 01 02 01 04 08 17 05 04 |
Chalk | 50 | 200 |
| 02 01 01 | Sludge from washing and cleaning fruit and vegetables on a farm | 50 | 200 |
| 02 01 99 02 03 99 |
Untreated water from cleaning fruit and vegetables on a farm | 100 | 200 |
| 02 03 05 | Effluent from treating water used to clean fruit and vegetables on a farm | 100 | 200 |
| 02 04 01 02 03 99 |
Soil from cleaning fruit and vegetables | 50 | 200 |
| 19 06 04 | Digestate produced under T24 exemption, T25 exemption or environmental permit | 50 | 200 |
| 19 08 12 | Biobed or biofilter material produced under T32 exemption | 50 | 200 |
| 02 01 99 | Milk from agricultural premises | 50 cubic metres of diluted milk per 24 hours | 200 |
| 02 01 99 | Used compost from growing mushrooms | 50 | 500 |
| 19 05 99 | Compost produced under a T23 exemption, T26 exemption or environmental permit | 50 | 500 |
| 10 01 01 | Ash from wood chip boilers burning plant tissue and untreated wood under a U4 exemption | 1 | 10 |
| 17 05 06 | Dredging spoil (except that in waste code 17 05 05*) from creating or maintaining habitats, ditches and ponds in parks, gardens, fields and forests | 150 | 1,250 |
4. Conditions of U10 exemption
These conditions apply to all waste types used under the U10 exemption. Some waste types have additional specific conditions that are listed separately.
You must not store or spread more than the maximum amount shown in the tables for each type of waste.
The site where you store and spread the waste (except for dredging spoil) must be:
- at least 10 metres from a watercourse
- at least 50 metres from a spring, well or borehole
4.1 Storing
You must store waste in a secure location. This means that you will make sure waste cannot escape and the public cannot gain access to it.
You can only store U10 waste types for a maximum of 12 months.
There are 2 waste types with different storage times. They are:
- milk, which you can only store for a maximum of 24 hours – you must use it within 24 hours of storing
- biobed and biofilter material, which you must store for at least 12 months before you can use it
4.2 Spreading
You must not spread waste on land that:
- is waterlogged, frozen or covered with snow
- has been frozen for 12 hours or more in the 24 hours before you start spreading
5. Waste types with specific conditions
Certain waste types used under a U10 exemption have specific conditions attached to them, as well as the general conditions that apply to all the waste types.
5.1 Dredging spoil
Dredging spoil must be spread on land next to where it was dredged.
5.2 Milk
Waste milk must:
- be diluted with equal or greater amount of water or slurry before it is spread
- be spread on the same area no more than once every 4 weeks
- not be stored for longer than 24 hours
5.3 Sludges, wash waters and effluents
Sludges, wash waters and effluents from washing fruit or vegetables on a farm can only be spread on land at the same farm.
6. Waste types that must be treated under another exemption or permit
Certain waste types must have been produced under other exemptions or permits before you can use them under a U10 exemption.
They are:
- ash (10 01 01)
- biobed and biofilter material (19 08 12)
- compost (19 05 99)
- digestate (19 06 04)
6.1 Ash
Ash from wood chip boilers burning plant tissue and untreated wood must have been produced under U4 exemption: burning waste as fuel in a small appliance.
6.2 Biobed and biofilter material
Biobed and biofilter material must have been produced under T32 exemption: treating waste in a biobed or biofilter.
It must be stored for at least 12 months before it is spread .
6.3 Compost
Compost must have been produced under one of the following:
- T23 exemption
- T26 exemption
- a permit that only allows waste types listed in T23 and T26 exemptions
If the compost comes from a permitted site, the facility must ensure the compost is stable, sanitised and suitable for agriculture.
The site must be allowed to accept only the exact waste types listed in T23 or T26.
Compost produced from waste types listed in T23 exemption must have been made according to strict mixing ratios. This means that for every 60 tonnes of compost there must be:
- no more than 10 tonnes of cardboard
- no more than 20 tonnes of manure
- no more than 10 tonnes of any of the following waste types:
- animal tissue waste (02 02 02)
- materials unsuitable for consumption or processing (02 05 01, 02 06 01)
- biodegradable kitchen and canteen waste (20 01 08)
- biodegradable waste from markets only (20 03 02)
6.4 Digestate
Digestate must have been treated under one of the following:
- T24 exemption: anaerobic digestion on farms
- T25 exemption: anaerobic digestion not done on a farm
- a permit that only allows waste types listed in T24 and T25 exemptions
If digestate has been treated under a permit, the conditions of the permit must state that the waste is stored in the digester for at least 28 days, before going to the U10-registered site.
You cannot use digestate from sites with a permit that allows other waste types.
7. Keeping records
You must keep a chronological record of waste activity carried out under this exemption.
Record the following information in the order it took place:
- date of activity
- the amount of waste spread
- type of waste spread
- where the waste came from
Example:
| Date | Type of waste | Amount spread per hectare | Where waste came from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 Feb 2025 | Chalk (01 01 02) | 10 tonnes | Supplier name and address |
| 24 Mar 2025 | Biobed material (19 08 12) | 30 tonnes | Supplier name and address |
| 1 May 2025 | Digestate (19 06 04) | 20 tonnes | Supplier name and address |
You must keep your records for 2 years and make them available to the Environment Agency when you’re asked for them.
You do not need to keep a record if you already do so under the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2015 or the Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) Regulations 2021.
8. Registering your waste exemption
You can register and pay through the waste exemption service.
If you’re a charity, call the Environment Agency to register exemptions free of charge.
9. Registration rules
You cannot:
- have more than one of the same exemption at a site, at the same time
- register an exemption if it’s already been registered at the site by another business
- renew your registration more than one month before the 3-year registration period ends
- increase the storage limit by registering a separate storage exemption
- store waste that is not included in your exemption
9.1 Waste limits at a site
Once you’ve registered a U10 exemption, the maximum waste limit applies to the site for 3 years.
Waste limits apply to the site on a tonnes per-hectare per-year basis.
If the exemption is deregistered before it expires, any new U10 registration inherits the remaining waste limit that was left by the previous registration.
Example scenario
February 2025: Business A registers a U10 exemption to spread digestate to land.
May 2025: Business A has spread the digestate at an application rate in the last year of 30 tonnes per hectare. Business A deregisters the exemption.
August 2025: Business B registers a U10 exemption at the same site. Business B can use only up to 20 tonnes per hectare for the remainder of the year. This is because Business A has already used part of the maximum per hectare allowance for that site for that year.
10. Charges for registering a U10 exemption
U10 exemption has a band 2 compliance charge.
There’s a registration charge to register one or more exemptions at a time.
10.1 Farmer charges
Farmers pay a capped charge to register any number of exemptions from a list of exemptions that farmers often use. U10 is on this list of farming exemptions.
Read about waste exemption charges.
10.2 Charities register free
Charities do not pay for waste exemptions. If you’re a charity, call the Environment Agency to register free of charge.
To qualify as a charity, your organisation must work exclusively for a charitable purpose.
Read the Charity Commission’s list and descriptions of charitable purposes to find out if your organisation falls within one of the 13 types of charitable activity.
11. Related exemptions
U4: burning waste as fuel in a small appliance
U11: spreading waste on non-agricultural land
U13: spreading plant matter where it was grown, to benefit soil
T24: anaerobic digestion on farms
T25: anaerobic digestion not done on a farm
T26: using a wormery to compost kitchen waste
12. 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 with new guidance about waste types that must have been treated under another exemption or permit before use. Updated guidance to say record-keeping of waste activity must be in chronological order.
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Updated with a link to new information about charges and charging bands for waste exemptions.
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Corrected the waste code 020101 to add condition 'F'.
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First published.