Guides
Guides to the new permits and what you have to do. Each one says what is confirmed and what is still to be confirmed, and we update them as the Environment Agency publishes more.
Transporter or controller: which permit is yours?
If you drive waste from one place to another on somebody else's instructions, you are a waste transporter. If you decide where waste goes, arrange collections or disposal for other people, or buy and sell waste, you are a waste controller. If you do both, and most small clearance and skip businesses do, you need the combined controller-transporter permit.
Last updated 15 September 2026
Do you need a permit or an exemption?
If you only move small amounts of waste that your own business produced, a registered exemption is likely to be enough from 22 July 2027. If you carry anyone else's waste, or arrange waste for other people, you need a permit. An exemption still has to be registered with the Environment Agency and renewed every three years. It is lighter than a permit. It is not the same as doing nothing.
Last updated 15 September 2026
The competence assessment explained
From 22 July 2027, anyone applying for a transporter, controller or combined permit in England must show they are technically competent before the Environment Agency will grant the permit. The route for doing that is the Controllers and Transporters (CaT) competence scheme, which the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) is building with the EA. People registering an exemption do not need it.
Last updated 15 September 2026
Criminal record checks for waste permits
From 22 July 2027, applying for a waste transporter, controller or combined permit in England includes a criminal record check. The Environment Agency can refuse a permit on the strength of it and can revoke a permit later if something comes to light. The exact form of the check, and which offences count against you, have not been published.
Last updated 15 September 2026
The tax check step
From 22 July 2027, applying for a waste permit in England includes a tax check. In plain terms, HMRC needs to know your business exists and you need to be up to date. If you are already registered for self assessment or corporation tax and file on time, this step should be simple. If you have been trading without registering, sort that out now, because the permit application is where it will catch up with you.
Last updated 15 September 2026
Showing your permit number on adverts and vans
From 22 July 2027, permit conditions in England will require your permit number to appear in your advertising, and Defra has said this includes your vehicles. Businesses with a registered exemption must include their registration number in relevant advertising; that requirement is written into the regulations themselves. Today there is no legal requirement to display a waste carrier registration number anywhere, which is one reason rogue operators are so hard to spot.
Last updated 15 September 2026
Driver numbers: what your drivers must carry
From 22 July 2027, every driver moving waste under a permit or registered exemption in England must carry the relevant permit or registration number and a unique driver number allocated by the operator. If you are a sole trader driving your own van, you allocate one number to yourself. If you employ drivers, you keep a register and give each of them a number.
Last updated 15 September 2026
Renewing your permit every three years
Waste transporter, controller and combined permits in England last three years. You renew to carry on. A permit cannot be transferred to another business, so if you sell up, take on a partner, or turn a sole trader business into a limited company, the new business needs its own permit. Working on after an expired permit means working without one.
Last updated 15 September 2026
What happens to your waste carrier licence in 2027
Your waste carrier registration does not stop on 22 July 2027. It runs until its normal expiry date. When it expires, you apply for a permit instead of renewing the registration. Lower-tier registrants who need a permit or exemption under the new rules get a further twelve months after 22 July 2027 to sort it out. The switch is phased, and the last registrations will not move across until around 2030.
Last updated 15 September 2026
Waste carrier registration in Wales: what changes in 2027
Nothing changes in Wales on 22 July 2027. The regulations that move England to environmental permits leave the waste carrier, broker and dealer registration system in place in Wales, where Natural Resources Wales (NRW) remains the regulator. If your business is based in Wales and works only in Wales, you carry on registering as you do now.
Last updated 15 September 2026