Your monthly update on legislation, guidance, interesting news articles, and webinars from the environmental sector.
Legislation
The Noise Emissions in the Environment by Equipment for Use Outdoors (Amendment and Transitional) Regulations 2025 (13th of April 2026)
These regulations will update the methods manufacturers and suppliers must use when assessing airborne noise for equipment subject to The Noise Emissions in the Environment by Equipment for Use Outdoors Regulations 2001. These assessment requirements mirror those applied in the European Union (EU) under Regulation (EU) 2024/1208.
For the full draft of the legislation, click here.
Source: Greenspace
Guidance
Decarbonisation Readiness in Environmental Permit Applications
This guidance applies to relevant electricity-generating combustion power plants in England. It explains how to demonstrate decarbonisation readiness in environmental permit applications submitted on or after the 28th of February 2026.
It is intended for:
- operators designing combustion power plants and preparing their environmental permit applications,
- any other organisation or member of the public seeking to understand how environmental regulations and standards are applied.
This guidance applies to England only. Carbon Capture Readiness (CCR) requirements will continue to apply in Wales.
For the full guidance, click here.
Source: Gov.uk
Online Service for Permit Applications
The Environment Agency (EA) is testing a new online service for permit applications in England. You can sign up to use the new service and give feedback on the following applications:
SR2022 No 6: household waste recycling centre
SR2021 No 15: storage and mechanical treatment of waste paper, cardboard, and plastic for recovery
SR2021 No 14: storage and mechanical treatment of waste mattresses for recovery
SR2021 No 13: storage and mechanical treatment of end-of-life tyres for recovery
SR2020 No 1: storage of PAS 107 certified clean cut tyre shred and chip at a port
SR2015 No 24: use of waste to manufacture timber or construction products
SR2008 No 24: standard rules for transfer of healthcare waste
SR2015 No 16: metal recycling site
SR2015 No 15: WEEE authorised treatment facility (ATF) excluding ozone-depleting substances
SR2015 No 14: 75kte metal recycling site
SR2009 No 7: storage of furnace ready scrap metal for recovery
SR2010 No 18: storage and treatment of dredgings for recovery
SR2022 No 3: construction, demolition and excavation waste transfer station
SR2022 No 8: waste wood treatment
SR2022 No 7: materials recycling facility
SR2022 No 1: treatment of waste to produce soil, soil substitutes and aggregate
SR2010 No 17: storage of wastes to be used in land treatment
SR2008 No 9: asbestos waste transfer station
SR2021 No 11: Small metal recycling facility (less than 5,000 tonnes a year)
SR2010 No 17: storage of wastes to be used in land treatment
SR2022 No 5: non-hazardous waste transfer with asbestos, hazardous batteries, cable and WEEE storage
Source: Gov.uk
Animal By-Product Operating Plants: Approved Premises
Premises in Great Britain and the Channel Islands must be approved by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to operate as an Animal By- Product (ABP) plant.
The list of details follows the format laid down by the European Commission and is arranged in sections according to plant type:
- Intermediate plants
- Storage plants
- Incineration plants
- Processing (rendering) plants
- Oleo-chemical plants
- Biogas plants
- Composting plants
- Pet food plants
- Specific users
- Purposes outside of the food chain
- Collection centres
- Organic fertiliser or soil improver plants
- Other registered plants.
The updated list can be found here.
Source: Gov.uk
The EA’s Regulation of Waste Pneumatic Tyres and their Export
The report sets out the findings of the internal review into the EA’s regulation of waste pneumatic tyres and their export, with a focus on the export of this waste to India.
The EA focussed this review on waste tyre exports to India as 89% of the UK’s waste rubber is exported to India for recovery into secondary products. The EA have also received numerous stakeholder enquiries related to the environmentally sound management of waste pneumatic tyres in India.
Some of the information in the report is redacted for legal reasons.
The EA welcomes comments and suggestions from stakeholders on implementation of the actions in this report. These can be emailed to wastetyresreview@environment-agency.gov.uk.
Enhanced verification of waste tyre exports to India – Effective 1st of October 2025
From the 1st of October 2025, exporters subject to an information notice must provide evidence demonstrating that the waste tyres exported to India will be recovered in an environmentally sound manner. This process is known as enhanced verification. They must also provide the Annex VII movement forms for all exports of waste tyres from the 28th of October 2025.
These checks aim to address concerns that United Kingdom waste tyres are being diverted from the facilities listed on the Annex VII document and are instead ending up at illegal pyrolysis sites in India.
If the EA is not satisfied with the evidence provided, it will use its legal powers to prevent the export of waste tyres on a shipment-by-shipment basis.
To read the full report, click here.
Source: Gov.uk
Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging: Register and Pay the Fee
The guidance provides details of how organisations who are responsible under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging, register with the environmental regulators and the registration fees.
This update lists provisional fees for 2026.
To read the updated provisional fees, click here.
Source: Gov.uk
Noise and Vibration: Environmental Permit Application Guidance
When you apply for an environmental permit for an operation in England, you must consider the potential risk of noise and vibration associated with this.
The guidance is to help you decide if you need to submit a Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment (NIA) and, a Noise and Vibration Management Plan (NMP). The EA has developed the Noise Advisory Tool (NAT) to help you make this decision.
To read the full guidance, click here.
Source: Gov.uk
Policy Papers and Consultations
United Kingdom
Digital Waste Tracking Service- Apply to Test the Service in a Private Beta
To help software developers and waste receivers prepare for the mandatory changes to the reporting of waste movements. The EA are beginning with a private beta. This tests the service with a select group of users to gather feedback before public release.
The EA aims are to:
- help software developers and waste receivers prepare for the mandatory changes to the reporting of waste movements (coming into effect from October 2026),
- give software developers (including third-party and internal development teams) as much time as possible to integrate their products and systems with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) receipt of waste Application Programming Interface (API),
- test that our APIs, processes, and documentation meet the needs of waste receivers and software developers,
- ensure the data the EA collects meets the needs of waste regulators,
- test and refine the EA’s registration, onboarding, and support processes.
To be invited to take part in the private beta, you must first register an interest in using the service.
Note: the EA will invite a range of waste receivers, and software developers of varying size, sectors and UK nations. For this reason, they may not be able to invite all organisations that have applied to take part in the private beta.
You will need to give:
- basic details about your organisation, including contact details, type of waste and size of your organisation,
- details of any waste management software you currently use,
- The EA will publish information about the progress of their private beta on the ‘GitHub’ site.
Apply to voluntarily test the report receipt of waste service
Source: Gov.uk
Amending the Hydrofluorocarbon Phasedown Schedule
DEFRA is seeking views to amend the phasedown schedule for Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in Great Britain to support the UK’s climate goals.
HFCs are a type of Fluorinated Gas (F Gas) with a high global warming potential. They are commonly used in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps.
The proposed changes would reduce the amount of HFCs that can be placed on the market in Great Britain beyond current legislative limits. This aims to help the UK meet carbon budget commitments and continue to implement international obligations under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
The consultation closes on the 17th of December 2025.
For the full consultation documents, click here.
Source: Gov.uk
Introduction of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
This tax information and impact note is about the new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) tax.
CBAM will make sure that highly traded, carbon intensive goods imported into the UK face a comparable carbon price to that paid by manufacturers in the UK.
This will apply from the 1st of January 2027 to goods from the following industrial sectors:
- Aluminium
- Cement
- Fertiliser
- Hydrogen
- Iron and steel.
To read the policy paper, click here.
Source: Gov.uk
The EA and Contaminated Land: Application in Real Environments (CL:AIRE) Joint Statement: Collaboration on the Development of the DoW CoP
The EA and CL:AIRE have released a joint statement to update the industry on the ongoing development of the Definition of Waste: Development Industry Code of Practice (DoW CoP).
The EA and CL:AIRE are performing a comprehensive review of the DoW CoP, building on the work carried out by CL:AIRE previously, which had received significant support from many industry groups. 2025 has seen a considerable increase in collaborative activity with frequent meetings and a collective desire to move forward. This joint effort aims to develop and publish a new version of the main document which better reflects the needs of the industry and regulators.
To read the statement, click here.
Source: CL:AIRE website
England
Environment Agency Charge Proposal: Decarbonisation Readiness
New Decarbonisation Readiness (DR) requirements for in-scope new or substantially refurbished electricity-generating combustion power plants in England will become part of the EA’s regulatory duties, under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.
The EA are proposing new charges to recover the cost of assessing DR reports submitted with permit applications and reviewing updated DR plans during the life of a permit. These charges will apply from the 28th of February 2026.
The consultation closes on the 6th of January 2026
For the full consultation documents, click here.
Articles
Nation to Benefit from Two New National Forests Backed by £1 Billion Investment in Tree Planting
Communities across England will benefit from expanded access to nature, with the creation of two new national forests supporting nature recovery, green jobs, and net zero goals.
A second new national forest was confirmed on the 5th of November 2025 for the Ox-Cam corridor, and a competition will launch in early 2026 to determine the location of a third forest in the Midlands or North of England. These new forests will see millions of trees planted in the years ahead as part of a wider commitment to allocate over £1 billion this parliament to tree planting and support to the forestry sector.
To read the full article, click here.
Source: Gov.uk
PackUK Issues Fraud Warning to Producers
PackUK has issued a warning over fraudulent invoices being sent to producers by email. The Notices of Liability (NoL) were first sent to obligated producers last month with details of the fees they will need to pay under Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR).
However, the scheme administrator has said that it is aware that some producers have received fraudulent NoLs which claim it is issuing “recalculated” notices.
PackUK confirmed that it is not currently issuing recalculations at this stage of the EPR process and that any legitimate recalculations will result in a new notice being issued.
The scheme administrator advised producers not to click on links in unsolicited emails and to instead go directly to their official Report Packaging Data (RPD) accounts to view and pay their invoices.
To read the full article, click here.
Source: Let’s Recycle newsletter
Multi-Agency Work to Protect Community and Environment in Kidlington
Following the appalling large-scale illegal dumping of waste near Kidlington, partner agencies – including the EA, Cherwell District Council, Oxfordshire County Council, and local emergency services have taken action to mitigate the risks to the local environment and community.
A 39-year-old man was arrested thanks to cooperation between EA enforcement officers from the major investigation team and the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit. The EA’s National Environmental Crime Unit, staffed by highly skilled waste crime investigators, continues to lead the investigation.
Residents of the area will rightly be concerned about the potential for contamination of the surrounding land and waterways – which is why works have been ongoing at the location over recent weeks to tackle those challenges, as well as a comprehensive programme of monitoring to understand what materials might pose a risk.
To read the full article, click here.
Source: Gov.uk
Enforcement Action
Aggregate and Recycling Company Must Pay £90,000 for Breaking Waste Permit
In March 2021, the EA started monitoring sites in Ilkeston, due to complaints about dust, odour and noise.
The regulator says officers attended land adjacent to where the company operated and discovered that a large amount of ash, which is commonly used as an aggregate in construction, was spread over the land.
Company officials said that the land was owned by someone else and was in the early stages of being developed. They also said that waste on the land had been placed there with the landowner’s permission and for the landowner’s use.
However, the company later accepted that it had made mistakes in dealing with the waste and that it had breached its permit by placing the waste on the land.
The company was told to remove the ash from the land by the 3rd of January 2022. However, when EA officers visited the land, they found that the mounds of waste, though reduced in size, were still being stored and covered approximately five acres.
At Nottingham Magistrates Court on the 7th of November 2025, the company were fined £40,000 and ordered to pay costs of £49,886.75 after pleading guilty at a previous hearing.
A spokesperson for the EA said: “This case shows that operators in the waste sector should realise we will not tolerate illegal waste activities. We will take enforcement action to protect the environment, people, and legitimate businesses.”
To read the full article, click here.
Source: Circular magazine
Yorkshire Duo Arrested in Recycling Fraud Investigation
Two men have been arrested for conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering, the EA announced on the 18th of November 2025. In raids the previous week, EA officers worked with South Yorkshire Police to apprehend the individuals as part of an investigation into fraudulent waste exporting claims, which is a way often used by organised criminal gangs to launder money.
The Packaging Producer Responsibility Regulations were introduced to oblige the producers of waste packaging made from materials such as plastic, glass and cardboard to contribute towards the financial cost of recycling and disposing of the waste. Businesses that meet the criteria are required to prove they have made a financial contribution by purchasing credits, known as Packaging Export Recovery Notes, from waste reprocessors or exporters. However, the credits have a monetary value which means organised criminal gangs can look to infiltrate the sector and engage in high value fraud and money laundering.
To read the full article, click here.
Source: Gov.uk
Cura Terrae Services
Environmental Permit Applications and Support
Operating legally in the UK often requires businesses to obtain environmental permits and consents. Navigating these applications can be challenging. We provide comprehensive support throughout the entire permitting process, from identifying the necessary permits to liaising with the EA or other regulatory bodies on your behalf, streamlining the process.
Our Environmental Permit Applications and Support services help businesses secure the necessary environmental permits and consents required by law. We offer expert guidance in identifying, preparing, and submitting applications for environmental permits, as well as support in permit variations, surrendering permits, and developing essential management plans. With our service, you can focus on your core business activities while we handle the finer details of environmental compliance. The links below cover the types of applications Curra Terrae can support your business with.
- Environmental Permit Applications
- Medium Combustion Plant Permits
- Permit Variations
- Surrendering Permits
- Regulation 61 BAT Assessments
- Permit Training
- Permit Application Gap Analysis
- Flood Risk Activity Permit Applications
- Trade Effluent Discharge Consent Applications and Variations
- H1 Risk Assessments
- Dust Management Plans
- Fire Prevention Plans
- Odour Management Plans
For further information, click here.
Phase One Environmental Due Diligence Assessment
Cura Terrae’s experienced consultants provide a comprehensive environmental audit service for businesses as part of legal and commercial due diligence. It identifies actual, potential and latent material issues with the target company, so you identify your environmental risks prior to acquisition or purchase. This assessment allows you to make an informed business decision around your acquisition or purchase by:
- Determining any existing issues so they can be managed appropriately.
- Establishing any barriers to growth.
What are the benefits of a Phase One Environmental Due Diligence Assessment?
- Ensures your environmental legal compliance.
- Avoid any identified barriers to growth with access to environmental compliance expertise.
- Save costs – avoid environmental clean-up liabilities that may be inherited.
What to expect from our Phase One Environmental Due Diligence service?
This service provides insurers, solicitors, intermediaries and investment managers with an in-depth, independent review to determine:
- Environmental legal compliance,
- Barriers to growth,
- Existing environmental clean-up liabilities that may be inherited.
For further information, click here.
Events
Circular Economy and Resource Management in Site Restoration and Development
21st of January 2026 09:30 – 12:00 [Online]
The UK Government’s 2025 consultation on Landfill Tax reform marks a significant shift in waste policy, particularly for developers delivering brownfield land schemes. It is intended to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and prompt circular economy principles, eliminate mis-description of waste, and tackle waste crime.
However, the industry is warning that it will instead increase costs, complicate the supply chain and result in more barriers to the effective management and reuse of waste. This will make brownfield site development unviable and negatively impact the delivery of the 1.5 million homes target.
This online event will bring together a panel of speakers working in brownfield site remediation, restoration and development to discuss the challenges facing the sector with regards to the removal and reuse of waste, and explore how to overcome barriers and find solutions to embrace a circular economy approach and achieve waste minimisation, resource efficiency and thus more sustainable outcomes.
To review the agenda and register, click here.
Source: Environment Analyst
