What the legislation says
Questions and answers
We have provided the following questions and answers to help you better understand if this exemption covers the type of activity that you wish to do.
Paragraph 30 (1) (a - d)
Q. What can you do?
A. You can burn in the open, up to ten tonnes per day of plant tissue waste, provided the wastes are your own.
Q. What is meant by plant tissue waste?
A. Plant tissue waste is intended as a very broad description of all materials of plant origin such as wood and vegetation and may include engineered materials of this type provided they are produced at the site where they will be burned.
Q. Who can do it?
A. Any company, organisation or individual who registers with us an activity that is exempt under Paragraph 30. By individuals we mean those acting in a business capacity, such as a sole trader. The law does not require an individual acting in a personal capacity to register an exemption.
Q. Where can you burn it?
A. At the place or places you identify when your register the exemption which must also be one of the land types listed and must also be the place where the waste was generated.
Q. What types of waste can you burn?
A. The exemption allows the burning of wood, bark and plant matter provided it does not cause pollution or a nuisance. The exemption does not allow any other waste type to be burned in the open.
Paragraph 30 (2)
Q. What can I store?
A. You can store waste that you intend to burn.
Q. Where can I store it?
A. Only at the place where it will be burned.
Paragraph 30 (3)
Q What can you do?
A. This section applies to farmers. If you are a farmer and wish to burn agricultural waste you need to read the sector specific guidance on exemptions, which can be found from our agriculture section.
Examples of activities that are suitable for registration under a Paragraph 30 (1) (2) (3) exemption:
- As part of a heathland reinstatement project a local authority action group intends to cut and burn stands of invasive heather.
The action group would need to register a Paragraph 30 exemption at the place where the heather will be cleared and burnt.
- A demolition contractor has cleared rough vegetation from an area of development land and intends to dispose of the scrub by burning.
The contractor would need to register a Paragraph 30 exemption on the areas where the scrub will be burnt.
Example of an activity that is not suitable for registration under a Paragraph 30 (1) (2) (3) exemption:
- A demolition contractor collects vegetation clearance waste from a number of sites, for the purposes of burning at a central location.
The burning of the wastes at a place other than where it was produced, is not covered by the Paragraph 30 exemption.
