Contact the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) to register as a waste carrier if you want to transport waste, or buy and sell it.

You don’t need to register if you only:

• transport your own household waste (not as part of a trade or business)
• move waste around your own site
• transport waste to or from the UK but not within it
• are a ferry operator, and your ferry takes vehicles carrying waste
• have a marine licence or marine licence exemption

Transporting waste includes carrying any kind of waste – for example, a customer’s old electrical or plumbing fittings or fixtures that you’ve replaced.

You must also register if you arrange for waste to be transported, disposed of or recovered.

Get more in the guide on ‘Applying for Registration as a Carrier, Broker of, or Dealer in controlled waste’.

Download ‘Applying for Registration as a Carrier, Broker of, or Dealer in
controlled waste’ (PDF, 132KB)

How to apply

Contact the NIEA.

There are two registration tiers – which one you need depends on who you are.

Lower tier

You only need to apply for a lower tier registration if you are a:

• charity or voluntary organisation
• carrier, broker or dealer who only works with animal by-products, mining and quarry waste or waste from agricultural premises
• waste collection, disposal or regulation authority

You can carry waste without being registered if you’re on this list but you don’t carry waste normally or regularly.

You don’t have to pay a fee.

You’ll get a letter confirming your registration. Your registration doesn’t need to be renewed.

Upper tier

If you aren’t on the lower tier list you must apply for an upper tier registration.

When you register, you’ll have to say if you:

• transport waste (a carrier)
• arrange for waste to be recovered or disposed of (a broker)
• are both a carrier and a broker

You will have to pay a fee of £132 for upper tier registration.

You get a certificate when you register. For £5 each you can also get credit card size copies.

Your registration will last for 3 years.

Producing your registration certificate

You must produce your registration certificate, or the credit card size version, when asked.

Fines and penalties

If you carry waste but you aren’t registered, you can be fined up to £5,000.

If you have an upper tier registration but can’t show your registration certificate or card when asked, you can be fined £300.

NI