Licensing & Permitting

Republic of Ireland

Waste disposal and recovery activities in Ireland are required to hold an authorisation in accordance with the Waste Management Act 1996 as amended.

A four-tier system of authorisation has been established for the regulation of such activities at a facility.  A waste recovery or disposal activity at a facility is either:

• an exempted activity (no authorisation required);
• requires a Waste licence;
• requires a Waste Facility Permit; or
• requires a Waste Certificate of Registration / Registration Certificate.

Depending on the authorisation required, these activities are controlled either by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or by Local Authorities within their own areas.  The EPA regulates all non-exempted Local Authority waste facility activities.

The main legislative texts governing the form of authorisation required for waste facilities are:

• Waste Management (Licensing) Regulations 2004 to 2011
• Waste Management (Facility Permit & Registration) Regulations 2007, as amended

The EPA is the competent authority for granting and enforcing waste licences for specified waste activities listed in the 3rd and 4th Schedule to the Waste Management Act 1996 as amended.  Such licences are granted for waste activities carried on by both local authorities and private operators.

You may be unclear as to whether you need a waste licence, waste facility permit, a certificate of registration or whether you are exempt from all of these authorisations. AVRIO has extensive experience in waste licencing and can therefore help with determining if your activity requires a waste licence and if so the subsequent preparation of an application and its submission thereafter.

Northern Ireland

Under the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 and the Waste Management Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003, all activities involving the treatment, keeping or disposal of waste must be authorised by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and must be carried out in accordance with that authorisation.

The Waste Management Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 came into operation in December 2003. The NIEA is responsible for granting licences, setting conditions on licensing activities and monitoring sites to ensure compliance with licence conditions.

Under the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order, a waste management licence is required to authorise the deposit, treating, keeping or disposal of controlled waste on any land, or treatment or disposal of controlled waste by means of mobile plant.

Your activity may qualify for an exemption from waste management licensing. Whether you need a licence or to register for an exemption will depend on:

• how long you store waste;
• the types and quantities of wastes that you handle; and
• the activities carried out on your site.

If your activity is exempt, you may still need to register it with the NIEA, and you will still need to comply with controls to prevent pollution and harm to human health.

AVRIO has extensive experience in waste licencing and can therefore help with determining if your activity requires a waste licence and if so the subsequent preparation of an application and its submission thereafter.