Register or renew as a waste carrier, broker or dealer

You must register if your business does any of the following:

  • transports waste (a carrier)
  • buys, sells or disposes of waste (a dealer)
  • arranges for someone else to buy, sell or dispose of waste (a broker)

You can get an unlimited fine if you do not register.

There is a different process for registering as a waste carrier in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

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Before you start

Registration is usually free if you only transport waste you produce yourself. Otherwise, registration costs £154.

If waste is your main business, you’ll need:

  • names and dates of birth of the organisation’s executives, owners, directors or partners
  • details of any environmental offences they’ve committed
  • a way to pay (for example, a debit or credit card)

What happens after you register

Once you’ve registered, your organisation’s details appear in the public register of waste carriers, brokers and dealers.

Renew your registration

When you register, you’ll be told whether your registration is ‘upper tier’ or ‘lower tier’.

If you have an upper tier registration, you must renew your registration every 3 years. It costs £105.

You do not need to renew a lower tier registration.

What to do if your details change

You must contact the Environment Agency within 28 days to update your registration if:

  • your organisation’s contact details change
  • your organisation’s management changes
  • someone in management is convicted of an environmental offence
  • your organisation changes what it does, for example you’re registered as a waste carrier but start acting as a waste broker as well

It costs £40 to change what your organisation does.

You must make a new registration if:

  • your business type has legally changed, for example if you change from a sole trader to a limited company
  • you’re changing from a lower tier to an upper tier registration

It costs £154 to make a new registration.

Contact the Environment Agency if you’re not sure what to do.

Contact the Environment Agency

Quote your registration number. You’ll find it on your registration letter or email - it starts with ‘CB’.

[email protected]
Telephone: 03708 506 506
Telephone from outside the UK: +44 (0) 114 282 5312
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Find out about call charges

Environment Agency general enquiries
National Customer Contact Centre
Quadrant 2
99 Parkway Avenue
Sheffield
S9 4WF