Keeping horses
Dealing with waste
You may need an environmental permit to store or spread animal waste.
When you dispose of horse manure, it’s waste unless all of the following apply:
- it is used as soil fertiliser
- it is used lawfully for spreading on clearly identified pieces of agricultural land
- it is only stored to be used for spreading on agricultural land
You must not spread horse manure as soil fertiliser near water. It can be a health hazard and could harm the environment. You’ll need to follow rules for both:
You must not put temporary piles of horse manure where there is risk of it draining:
- to nearby drains in fields
- within 10 metres of a watercourse, for example a stream or river
- within 50 metres from a spring, well or borehole that supplies water for people to drink
Getting rid of solid waste
Solid waste includes things like:
- contaminated bedding
- food containers
- horse manure (if not used as soil fertiliser)
- empty pesticide and other chemical containers
- plastics such as silage wrap, bags and sheets
- tyres, batteries, clinical waste, old machinery and oil
You must use a licensed facility to get rid of solid waste - it’s against the law to dump or burn it.
Contact your local authority or the Environment Agency for information on how to get rid of solid waste.
Environment Agency helpline
03708 506 506
Find out about call charges
[email protected]
Water and liquid waste
To prevent pollution, you must not allow uncontrolled draining from:
- dirty yards
- washing out of stables
- soaking hay
- exercise pools
You must store liquid waste in a waterproof container (such as an impermeable lagoon or a sealed effluent tank). It can then be removed or disposed of at a permitted facility or land spread.
You must get permission from your local water company to dispose of liquid waste to the sewer or a controlled water source.
You must leave water from an exercise pool to stand for 7 days after chlorination or other chemical treatment before disposing of it.
Clinical waste
Clinical waste must be treated as hazardous waste and collected separately. This includes:
- infected linen
- bandaging
- used syringes
- empty medicine containers
Biodegradable waste
Some biodegradable waste can be composted at a composting plant registered with the Environment Agency. You may need an environmental permit for on-site composting of some materials.