There are three sets of standard rules for sites accepting less than 75,000 tonnes of waste per annum.
We have revised the standard rules for this activity so there is now only one tonnage band.
These rules allow the operator to operate a site for the treatment of clinical waste to render the waste safe and the storage and transfer of hazardous and non-hazardous clinical and healthcare waste at a specified location.
Permitted wastes are limited to non-hazardous and hazardous clinical and healthcare waste. Treatment includes by:
- heat
- chemicals, and
- irradiation in order to render the clinical waste safe.
The definition of Rendering safe is based on the Department of Health document HTM 07 01 'Safe management of healthcare waste' as treatment that:
- for infectious waste - demonstrates the ability to reduce the number of infectious organisms present in the waste to a level that no additional precautions are needed to protect workers or the public against infection by the waste
- for anatomical waste - destroys anatomical waste such that it is no longer generally recognisable
- for any clinical waste - renders any syringes, needles or any other equipment or item unusable and no longer in their original shape and form
- for medicinal waste - destroys the component chemicals of medicinal waste.
Treatment of infectious clinical waste must meet the State and Territorial Association on Alternative Treatment Technologies (STAATT) level III criteria in the manner specified in Environment Agency Guidance.
All treatment activities must take place within a building with an impermeable surface and sealed drainage system. These rules do not permit:
- mixing of hazardous waste
- burning of any wastes, either in the open, inside buildings or in any form of incinerator.
Applying for a standard permit
You can apply for a standard permit if you comply with the standard rules, and meet the following risk criteria:
- the quantity of waste that can be accepted onto the site is less than 75,000 tonnes per annum.
- the only discharges to controlled waters are surface water from the roofs of buildings and from areas of the site not used for the storage or treatment of wastes.
- the activities are not carried out within 200 metres of a European site, Ramsar site or Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). You can find out this information by calling us on 0370 8506506, or by visiting either of the websites below (depending on whether your site is in England or Wales):
Applying for a bespoke permit
If you cannot comply with any of the standard rules, or meet any one of the criteria listed above, then you must apply for a bespoke permit. Your application must include additional information about the criteria that you cannot meet and how you intend to control the associated risks.
Cost of standard permits
The cost of standard permits can be found within our charging scheme. Please visit the Environmental Permitting (EP) charges page.
Standard rules
You can find the standard rules sets, generic risk assessment, guidance and application form by using the links below.
Look at the standard rules that you want to apply for and check that:
- the permitted activities include all the ones that you want to carry out
- the permitted waste types include all the wastes that you want to accept onto the site
- the permitted waste quantity is sufficient
- you can comply with all the other rules. We have written guidance to help you understand how to comply with the rules. We still publish three sets of standard rules for this activity but you can only apply for SR2008No25_75kte.
Download and read the rules:
We carried out a risk assessment to develop the risk criteria for these activities to produce the standard rules. We have provided it for your information, but you do not need to agree with it or send us a signed copy:
Record of changes to standard rules and generic risk assessment
A record of the changes to the standard rules and generic risk assessment since they were first published is available from the link below. The record of change was last updated in April 2010. If you operate under this set of standard rules, you must comply with the current version that is linked to this web page:
Guidance on how to comply with your standard permit
Guidance is provided in a document called 'How to Comply with your Environmental Permit'. This is available to download from our Environmental Permitting guidance page:
Application form and explanatory notes
The Environmental Permitting Regulations application form is available from the link below:
