Regulatory Decision 035: Small-scale heat treatment of waste plastics for recovery
This Regulatory Decision (RD) is valid until 1 January 2026 by which time it will be reviewed. You should check back at that time to ensure the RD is still valid.
NRW can withdraw or amend this RD before the review date if we consider it necessary. This includes where the activities that this RD relates to have not changed.
Regulatory Decision
This RD applies to the treatment of waste plastic using heat under the T4 and U9 waste exemptions.
You usually need an environmental permit to heat waste plastic as this is not allowed under a T4 or U9 waste exemption. However, if you comply with the conditions in this RD, you do not need an environmental permit for a waste operation if you carry out this activity under a T4 or U9 exemption.
This RD does not apply to any other activity, even if it is under the same legislation. You may still need other permits or licences for other activities you carry out.
Conditions you must comply with
You must:
- register waste exemption T4 if you’re relying on a T4 exemption, or register waste exemption U9 if you’re relying on a U9 exemption
- comply with all the conditions and limitations in the T4 or U9 exemption except for the restriction relating to heat
- heat waste plastic as part of an extrusion process
- not heat more than 100 tonnes of waste plastic a week
- treat only non-brominated plastics, or plastics that have been treated to remove brominated plastics before being accepted on site
- keep records for 2 years that show you have complied with this RD – you must make these records available to Natural Resources Wales on request
If you follow the conditions in this RD, you will be treated as if you hold an environmental permit when you apply for accreditation as a reprocessor of packaging waste under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 (as amended).
Enforcement
This RD does not change your legal requirement to have an environmental permit for a waste operation when treatment of waste plastic using heat.
However, NRW will not normally take enforcement action if you do not comply with the need for an environmental permit if you meet the requirements in this RD.
In addition, your activity must not cause (or be likely to cause) pollution of the environment or harm to human health, and must not
- cause a risk to water, air, soil, plants or animals
- cause a nuisance through noise or odours
- adversely affect the countryside or places of special interest