Environmental Protection Act 1990

35 Waste management licences: general. E+W+S

(1) A waste management licence is a licence granted by a waste regulation authority authorising the treatment, keeping or disposal of any specified description of controlled waste in or on specified land or the treatment or disposal of any specified description of controlled waste by means of specified mobile plant.

(2) A licence shall be granted to the following person, that is to say—

(a) in the case of a licence relating to the treatment, keeping or disposal of waste in or on land, to the person who is in occupation of the land; and

(b) in the case of a licence relating to the treatment or disposal of waste by means of mobile plant, to the person who operates the plant.

(3) A licence shall be granted on such terms and subject to such conditions as appear to the waste regulation authority to be appropriate and the conditions may relate—

(a) to the activities which the licence authorises, and

(b) to the precautions to be taken and works to be carried out in connection with or in consequence of those activities;

and accordingly requirements may be imposed in the licence which are to be complied with before the activities which the licence authorises have begun or after the activities which the licence authorises have ceased.

(4) Conditions may require the holder of a licence to carry out works or do other things notwithstanding that he is not entitled to carry out the works or do the thing and any person whose consent would be required shall grant, or join in granting, the holder of the licence such rights in relation to the land as will enable the holder of the licence to comply with any requirements imposed on him by the licence.

(5) Conditions may relate, where waste other than controlled waste is to be treated, kept or disposed of, to the treatment, keeping or disposal of that other waste.

(6) The Secretary of State may, by regulations, make provision as to the conditions which are, or are not, to be included in a licence; and regulations under this subsection may make different provision for different circumstances.

(7) The Secretary of State may, as respects any licence for which an application is made to a waste regulation authority, give to the authority directions as to the terms and conditions which are, or are not, to be included in the licence; and it shall be the duty of the authority to give effect to the directions.

[F1 (7A) In any case where—

(a) an entry is required under this section to be made in any record as to the observance of any condition of a licence, and

(b) the entry has not been made,

that fact shall be admissible as evidence that that condition has not been observed.

F1 (7B) Any person who—

(a) intentionally makes a false entry in any record required to be kept under any condition of a licence, or

(b) with intent to deceive, forges or uses a licence or makes or has in his possession a document so closely resembling a licence as to be likely to deceive,

shall be guilty of an offence.

F1 (7C) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (7B) above shall be liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum;

(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or to both.]

(8) It shall be the duty of waste regulation authorities to have regard to any guidance issued to them by the Secretary of State with respect to the discharge of their functions in relation to licences.

(9) A licence may not be surrendered by the holder except in accordance with section 39 below.

(10) A licence is not transferable by the holder but the waste regulation authority may transfer it to another person under section 40 below.

(11) A licence shall continue in force until [F2 it ceases to have effect under subsection (11A) below,] it is revoked entirely by the waste regulation authority under section 38 below or it is surrendered or its surrender is accepted under section 39 below.

[F3 (11A) A licence shall cease to have effect if and to the extent that the treatment, keeping or disposal of waste authorised by the license is authorised by a permit granted under regulations under section 2 of the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999.]

(12) In this Part “licence” means a waste management licence and “site licence” and “mobile plant licence” mean, respectively, a licence authorising the treatment, keeping or disposal of waste in or on land and a licence authorising the treatment or disposal of waste by means of mobile plant.

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 35(7A)-(7C) inserted (1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 25, s. 120(1), Sch. 22 para. 66(2) (with ss. 7(6), 115, 117); S.I. 1996/186, art. 3

F2 Words in s. 35(11) inserted (E.W.) (1.8.2000) by S.I. 2000/1973, reg. 39, Sch. 10 Pt. 1 para. 5(a) and inserted (S.) (28.9.2000) by S.S.I. 2000/323, reg. 36, Sch. 10 Pt. 1 para. 3(4)(a)

F3 S. 35(11A) inserted (E.W.) (1.8.2000) by S.I. 2000/1973, reg. 39, Sch. 10 Pt. 1 para. 5(b) and inserted (S.) (28.9.2000) by S.S.I. 2000/323, reg. 36, Sch. 10 Pt. 1 para. 3(4)(b)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 35 amended (1.5.1994) by S.I. 1994/1056, regs. 1(3), 19, Sch. 4 Pt. I para. 9(5)

C2 S. 35(11) extended (27.7.1999) by 1999 c. 24, s.4(1)(3)(4)(5)(8)

Commencement Information

I1 S. 35 not in force at Royal Assent, see s. 164(3); s. 35(6) in force at 18.2.1993 by S.I. 1993/274, art. 2(1); s. 35 in force in so far as not already in force at 1.5.1994 save for purposes of application to activities specified in art. 2(2) of the commencing S.I. and otherwise in force in relation to those activities in accordance with art. 3 of the commencing S.I. by S.I. 1994/1096, arts. 2(2)(3), 3 (as amended by S.I. 1994/2487, art. 2 and S.I. 1994/3234, art. 2)