Guide
Waste carrier licence: £191.02 for upper tier in England
An upper tier waste carrier registration in England costs £191.02 and must be renewed every 3 years for £130.25, while a lower tier registration is free and never needs renewing (GOV.UK, checked October 2026). Skip hire and rubbish removal firms carry other people's waste, so they need the upper tier.
Do I need a waste carrier licence to take away rubbish?
Yes, if your business moves waste. GOV.UK says you must register if your business transports waste (a carrier), buys, sells or disposes of waste (a dealer), or arranges for someone else to do so (a broker), and that you can get an unlimited fine in England if you do not register.
The trade calls it a waste carrier licence, but in England, Wales and Northern Ireland it is legally a registration. In England the number starts with CB: CBDU for upper tier and CBDL for lower tier.
A householder taking their own rubbish to the tip does not need to register. Natural Resources Wales also lists a landowner clearing fly-tipping from their own land as not needing to register.
Upper tier or lower tier: which waste carrier registration do I need?
Lower tier is for a business that only carries waste it produces itself, as long as that waste is not construction or demolition waste. It also covers charities and voluntary organisations, councils acting as waste authorities in their own area, and firms that only handle animal by-products, mine or quarry waste or farm waste. NRW's examples include a gardener taking away green waste they cut and a carpet fitter taking away the old carpet.
Upper tier is for anyone who carries construction or demolition waste, carries waste produced by someone else, or acts as a broker or dealer. NRW lists house clearance, scrap collection from homes, and a landlord carrying tenants' waste as upper tier activities.
A skip hire firm or a rubbish removal firm collects its customers' waste, so it needs upper tier. When we checked the Environment Agency register in October 2026, 111 of 1,149 skip-named registrations in England were lower tier, which does not cover collecting customers' waste.
How much does a waste carrier licence cost in each UK nation?
England (Environment Agency): £191.02 for a new upper tier registration and £130.25 to renew every 3 years. Changing what your organisation does, for example adding broker to a carrier registration, costs £49.62. Lower tier is usually free and does not need renewing (GOV.UK, October 2026).
Wales (Natural Resources Wales): £184 for a new upper tier registration, which lasts three years, and £126 to renew before the expiry date. Lower tier is free and does not need renewing. NRW says all registrations are VAT exempt.
Northern Ireland (DAERA, Northern Ireland Environment Agency): £180 for a new upper tier application and £90 to renew. There is no fee for lower tier.
Scotland (SEPA): since 1 November 2025, waste carriers register under the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018 (EASR). SEPA's 'Transporting waste' registration names skip uplift and house clearances as examples. SEPA takes card payment at application; check its charging information for the current fee.
How do I apply for a waste carrier registration?
England: apply online through the GOV.UK waste carrier registration service. If waste is your main business you need the names and dates of birth of the owners, directors or partners, details of any environmental offences they have committed, and a debit or credit card.
Wales: apply online to NRW and declare any unspent relevant convictions, which include offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989. NRW emails or writes with a renewal code 6 weeks before an upper tier registration expires.
Scotland: apply online to SEPA. You will be asked about unspent relevant convictions and any previous SEPA monetary penalties. SEPA says applicants with nothing to declare receive their registration by email automatically, and that the statutory timescale is 28 days where it assesses an application.
Northern Ireland: apply to DAERA using an NI Direct or Government Gateway account. Upper tier applicants also give the names and dates of birth of executives and proof of the business address, such as a utility bill or council tax bill.
Does one registration cover the whole UK?
Register with the regulator where your main business activity takes place. SEPA says a registration with SEPA, the Environment Agency or NRW is valid in England, Scotland and Wales.
Northern Ireland is separate. SEPA's guidance says a firm moving waste to or from Northern Ireland must register with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency as well.
What must I tell the regulator after I register?
In England you must contact the Environment Agency within 28 days if your contact details change, your management changes, someone in management is convicted of an environmental offence, or your business starts doing something new, such as brokering as well as carrying.
You need a new registration, at £191.02, if your business type legally changes, for example from sole trader to limited company, or if you move from lower tier to upper tier.
Since 12 August 2026, a carrier, broker or dealer based in England must not hold more than one registration with the Environment Agency. Under SI 2026/873, only the earliest registration is valid and any later ones are void.
What happens to waste carrier registration in England from July 2027?
From 22 July 2027, registration in England is replaced by an environmental permit or a registered exemption. Existing upper tier carriers do not all switch on that day: each firm moves across when its current registration was due to expire.
The new permits bring identity, criminal record and technical competence checks, and the permit number must appear in advertising and on vans (GOV.UK, May 2026). Our guide to waste permits from 2027 covers the timetable and what to do now.
Common questions
Is a waste carrier licence the same as a waste carrier registration?
Yes. Most people say licence, but in England, Wales and Northern Ireland it is a registration on a public register. In England it becomes an environmental permit from 22 July 2027, and in Scotland it is an EASR registration with SEPA.
How long does an upper tier waste carrier registration last?
In England and Wales an upper tier registration lasts 3 years. Renewal costs £130.25 with the Environment Agency and £126 with NRW (October 2026). A lower tier registration does not expire.
Can a skip hire company be registered as lower tier?
Not for collecting customers' waste. Lower tier only covers carrying waste you produce yourself, other than construction or demolition waste, plus a few named cases such as charities. A firm that collects other people's waste needs the upper tier.
How will customers check my waste carrier registration?
They can search your name or number on the Environment Agency public register of waste carriers, brokers and dealers, or on the NRW, SEPA or DAERA registers. In England a householder who hands waste to an unregistered carrier can get a fixed penalty of up to £600, so many will ask for your number before they book.