Broken ceramics from firing

What you must do

In Northern Ireland and Scotland, if you reprocess broken ware from firing into usable material, either at your plant or at another site, you may need a waste management licence or exemption.

An exemption allows you to recover or dispose of waste at the place where it is produced. This is only if the waste was generated from an integral part of the production process.

You must register this exemption with your environmental regulator.

In England and Wales, reusing waste as part of your production process is now covered by a Non-Waste Framework Directive (NWFD) exemption. You do not need to register this activity. For further information on NWFD exemptions see our guidance on who needs to register an exemption.

You must still ensure that your activity does not:

  • endanger human health or cause pollution to water, air or soil
  • cause a risk to plants or animals
  • cause a nuisance in terms of noise, dust, fumes, smoke or odour
  • adversely affect the countryside or places of special interest.