Transfrontier Shipments of Waste

Transboundary movements of waste

Do you transport waste into or out of Northern Ireland from or to countries outside the UK?

If so, you need to be aware that shipments of waste are subject to a range of regulatory controls. Our guide 'An introduction to moving waste between countries'(.PDF 399Kb) provides an overview of the different types of controls that can apply.

The controls you need to comply with will depend on:

whether the waste is being sent for recovery or disposal - most shipments for disposal are prohibited, and if they are allowed they are subject to notification controls
if being moved for recovery, the type of waste - European legislation contains several annexes specifying different types of hazardous and non-hazardous waste. See Environment Agency's Consolidated waste list(.PDF 197Kb)
the 'status' of the countries of dispatch and destination. If you are moving waste within the EU, the procedures are different from those that apply if you are moving waste out of or into the EU or to and from OECD countries.

View a map of the EU Countries on the Europa website.

View the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) website.

Transboundary waste shipments from the UK can be:

Prohibited

- movements not allowed under any circumstances including almost all:

imports and exports for disposal
exports of hazardous waste to developing countries, even if moving for recovery

or subject to:

Notification controls

- these apply to all permitted imports and exports of:

hazardous waste moving for recovery
any type of waste moving for disposal
and to some imports and exports of non-hazardous wastes for recovery

Where these controls apply you need our written permission before moving the waste and you must comply with a range of other requirements. View our Notification controls.

or shipments could be subject to:

Green list controls

These are the lowest level of control and only ever apply to some (but not all) imports or exports of non-hazardous waste for recovery. Where these controls apply you do not need our permission before moving the waste but you must comply with a range of other requirements. View our Green List Controls.

How can I find out which controls apply to my shipment?

If you are intending to ship waste from the UK to another country, see our guide:

Moving waste between countries: determining the controls on waste exports(.PDF 430Kb)

If you are bringing waste into the UK from abroad read:

Moving waste between countries: determining the controls on waste imports(.PDF 106Kb)

If you are receiving waste within the UK you must ensure the proper procedures have been followed. You will need to know if the waste import is allowed and, if so, under what controls. You will also be required to complete specified documents on receipt and completion of the recovery or disposal of the waste and, in the case of waste subject to notification controls, send copies of those documents to the person who sent the waste and to the relevant regulatory authorities. In all cases you will need to keep copies of the documents relating to the imported waste.