7 Licence exemptions for low-risk waste
14.95 For many waste management activities there are exemptions from the requirement to possess a waste management licence. These mainly apply to low-risk categories of waste, and to low risk activities (such as spreading waste on land) intended to produce agricultural benefit.
Farmers can register a licence exemption206 with the Environment Agency if they wish to undertake these activities or dispose of these categories of waste on-farm. If a licence exemption is registered, there will be no need to obtain an environmental permit under the 2010 Regulations. This is of considerable importance, and most farm businesses will need to register licence exemptions for a range of common agricultural activities concerning waste management, as explained below.14.96 A long list of the exemptions from the requirement for an environmental permit for waste handling and storage are set out in Sch 3 to the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010.207 Some of the exemptions apply specifically to agricultural waste. In these cases an operator can register a licence exemption. These include, for example:
•Deposit of waste milk diluted by water or slurry from farms by spreading to agricultural land.208 Fifty cubic metres of diluted mld can be applied in a 24-hour period. The land to be spread must be at least 10 metres from a watercourse and 50 metres from a well, spring or borehole, and the waste milk must be diluted with no less than an equal quantity of water or slurry.209 Any material stored must also be kept at this distance form watercourses, wells etc.
•The deposit of chalk, farmyard manure, or soil form cleaning and washing fruit and vegetables. In each case the maximum that can be spread is 50 tonnes per hectare in any 12-month period. The land to be spread must be at least 10 metres from a watercourse and 50 metres from a well, spring or borehole.210 A maximum of 200 tonnes can be stored at any one time. Any material stored must also be kept at this distance form watercourses, wells etc.
•Deposit of plant tissues on land to allow it to rot down – for example crop waste from handling grading and storage. This exemption is limited to spreading a maximum of 50 tonnes per hectare over any 12-month period, and the deposit must be made on land that is at least 50 metres from the nearest watercourse, well, spring or borehole.211 Any material stored must also be kept at this distance form watercourses, wells etc.
•The use of ash from wood chip boilers, for the purposes of spreading it to land for agricultural benefit.212 This exemption is limited to spreading a maximum of 1 tonne per hectare over any 12 month period, and the deposit must be made on land that is at least 50 metres from the nearest watercourse, well, spring or borehole. Any material stored must also be kept at this distance form watercourses, wells etc.
•Land Treatment of ash from on-farm incineration of pig and poultry carcasses.213
•Deposit of untreated wood and plant mater as mulch. The maximum that can be spread as a mulch is 100 tonnes in any 1-month period.214
•Spreading digested material form an anaerobic digester, including plant tissue, manures, animal tissue, paper and cardboard etc.215 In each case the maximum that can be spread is 50 tonnes per hectare in any 12-month period. The land to be spread must be at least 10 metres from a watercourse and 50 metres from a well, spring or borehole. A maximum of 200 tonnes can be stored at any one time. Any material stored must also be kept at this distance form watercourses, wells etc.