You will need a waste transfer station permit if you want run a recycling business.

The term “waste transfer station” refers to any sort of facility that imports and treats waste. This may be end of life vehicles (ELV). It may be recycling car batteries. It may be skip waste or construction and demolition waste. Your yard or location collects waste, treats it in some way, then exports the differing grades of material. The business if run correctly can be very lucrative. You get paid to remove waste from houses or businesses. You then get paid again after you sort the waste and sell it on. Metal recycling waste transfer stations can be especially cash generating.

The waste transfer station permit is an environmental permit issued by the Environment Agency. In order to apply for a permit you will need to ensure that your chosen location is not close to sensitive receptors. Such as SSSI’s, protected woodland or RAMSAR sites. You can apply if you are close to these but the burden of proof needed to prove that you will not have an environmental impact will be higher.

There are many sorts of permit depending on the volumes and types of waste you treat. Which permit you apply for will dictate how you run your business. Paul Downing & Associates are experts in helping businesses apply for the correct permit type. We can advise you how to best apply and the number of surveys you will need to conduct to support your application.

Fire Prevention Plan

As a waste transfer station, you will be inspected on a regular basis. You will need to make sure that you store waste in the correct manner. It is important that you do not create a fire risk. The Environment Agency will ask you to produce a fire prevention plan. This will detail how you plan to prevent fires happening and what you do if they happen. Items you need to include in the plan include things such as CCTV cameras, nearest hydrants, size of firebays, drainage to prevent water from the firebrigade exiting your site if they have to hose it down. Getting the plan approved can be tricky and you may need to resubmit it several times for approval. We can help with the layout of the site so that it meets the fire prevention plan guidance. For example you cannot store waste within 6m of the perimiter of the site or buildings unless it is in a concrete firebay. Another rule is that if you store waste inside a building you must for a suppression system. This can be very costly.

Waste Transfer Station Permit

Setting up such a business is tightly regulated by the Environment Agency as there can be a detrimental impact on the environment if things go wrong. A waste transfer station permit will allow you to legally collect waste and treat it. You will need to be aware of the differing waste types and the paperwork you will need to complete in order to stay “legal”. A well run permitted waste transfer station is a valuable asset and you will be able to sell it in years to come.

We have helped many businesses successfully apply for and achieve a successful permit application. Without the permit you will be treating waste illegally and subject to quite stringent fines and potential prosecution.

Waste treatment can mean simply manual sorting of skip waste. So make sure that you do not fall foul of the regulations. Even if you are operating on a very small scale. Call us if you need more information.