Waste shipment regulation in the UK and EU after May 2026
The EU applies waste shipment Regulation 2024/1157 from 21 May 2026. Great Britain keeps its own rules for notified and green-list waste exports.
The waste shipment regulation decides whether an international waste shipment is allowed and which controls apply: prior notification and consent, or the lighter green-list information procedure. The EU has applied Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 since 21 May 2026, but Great Britain still runs on its own amended, assimilated version of Regulation (EC) 1013/2006 plus the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 2007.
For exports to the EU, the Environment Agency guidance says contracts must meet EU waste shipment rules. Regulation 2024/1157 sets the EU-side duties.
Transfrontier shipment of waste (TFS): which rules apply where?
The new EU law did not replace GB law. The Environment Agency's Waste: export and import guidance, last updated 16 June 2026, still names assimilated Regulation 1013/2006, as amended by UK legislation, as its legal basis. That guidance covers England only.
Regulation 6 of the TFS Regulations 2007 sets out who the competent authority is in each part of the UK:
| Territory | Competent authority for transfrontier shipment |
|---|---|
| England | Environment Agency |
| Wales | Natural Resources Wales |
| Scotland | SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) |
| Northern Ireland | DAERA (operationally the NIEA) |
Northern Ireland is a separate case. DAERA's TFS page says NI continues to apply EU shipment controls. However, the page dates from 9 January 2025 and still names Regulation 1013/2006. For Northern Ireland routes, confirm current requirements with DAERA or the NIEA directly.
The GB procedures below describe England's requirements. Check with NRW or SEPA for shipments from Wales or Scotland. The later EU section covers EU-side duties separately.
Notification or green-list waste?
Check the waste and route before choosing the paperwork:
- What the waste is, classified correctly, including whether it is hazardous, mixed or contaminated.
- Whether it goes for recovery or disposal.
- Whether the destination country and every transit country allow it.
- Only then, which control route applies.
Disposal changes everything. Under the Environment Agency guidance, imports and exports of waste for disposal are generally prohibited, with limited exceptions in the UK plan. Don't treat a disposal export as something a notification will routinely clear.
For recovery, eligible listed waste can move under Article 18, the green-list procedure. A transboundary movement of hazardous waste needs prior notification and consent, or is banned outright. The same is true of other waste outside the green list. The waste must not be prohibited, hazardous or wrongly mixed or contaminated for the green-list code you plan to use. Being non-hazardous is not enough on its own. Destination country rules matter too, and an Environment Agency permission can't override a foreign import or transit restriction.
| Green-list (Article 18) | Notified (prior informed consent) | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical waste | Eligible listed waste for recovery | Hazardous, unlisted or mixed waste, if the movement is not prohibited |
| Before shipment | Annex VII document plus a binding recovery contract | All required consents, contract, approved financial guarantee |
| During transport | Annex VII travels with the waste | Shipment documents travel with the waste |
What the green-list paperwork involves in GB
Under the GB text of Article 18, the person arranging the shipment signs the Annex VII document before the waste leaves. The consignee or recovery facility signs it on receipt. A binding recovery contract must be in force when the shipment starts. It must cover take-back or alternative recovery, and storage if needed, in case the shipment or recovery can't be completed or turns out to be illegal.
England requires Annex VII documents and contracts to be kept for three years. The EA guidance also says contracts for exports to the EU must meet EU waste shipment rules.
What notification involves
For a notified export from England, obtain all required consents before the waste moves. You also need the contract, an approved financial guarantee and the shipment documents. Sending an Annex VII form doesn't count as notification.
Exporting waste from England: the July 2026 change
England added a new step for green-list exports. The Environment Agency guidance says anyone carrying out Article 18 exports from England to outside the UK after 1 July 2026 must register their export activities, then comply with the information notices the agency sends.
The registration covers the activity you expect to do. The guidance says to use the form to report even if you are not likely to export in the next 12 months.
The rollout is gradual. Each information notice sets what data you send, how often, and whether you report before or after shipment. Later notices deal with evidence about the destination site. So exporters did not all get the same per-shipment reporting duty on 1 July, and the change applies to England, not the whole UK.
What changed under the new EU waste shipment regulation
Regulation 2024/1157 entered into force on 20 May 2024 and has applied generally since 21 May 2026 (Article 86). The basic split between notification and green-list control survives. Article 4 sends Annex IV waste, unlisted waste, unlisted mixtures and relevant hazardous or contaminated waste to notification. For recovery above 20 kg, eligible Annex III waste, Annex IIIB waste moved inside the EU, and Annex IIIA mixtures fall under Article 18 information requirements. Annex IIIB does not apply to exports.
Articles 5 to 9 cover notification, the contract, a financial guarantee or equivalent insurance, and consent. Some transit authorities can give tacit consent. Obtain every required consent, but don't assume each transit country must issue a written one.
On the green-list side, EU Article 18 generally requires Annex VII information at least two working days before shipment. The actual quantity, carrier and container details must be available when the shipment starts, and the contract must be in force by the information deadline. EU records are kept for five years under Article 20. That is longer than England's three years, so a UK firm with EU operations should keep both rules in mind.
Digital procedures and DIWASS
The Commission's 21 May 2026 launch notice says notified (PIC) procedures can now only run electronically. Under an agreed flexible approach, green-listed shipments can keep using the old paper procedure until 31 December 2026. That flexibility is operational. It doesn't remove the Article 18 duties themselves. Article 27 of the regulation allows the exchange to run through the central system or an interoperable national system. None of this means GB has adopted DIWASS.
Key EU dates
| Date | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 21 May 2026 | General application of Regulation 2024/1157; EU plastic waste exports to third countries need PIC | Article 86, Commission |
| 30 July 2026 | Regulation 2026/1703 bans exports of mixed municipal waste for recovery, except to Switzerland | Regulation 2026/1703 |
| 21 November 2026 | Ban on exporting B3011 plastic waste to non-OECD countries takes effect | Articles 39 and 86 |
| 31 December 2026 | Paper flexibility for green-listed shipments ends | Commission |
| 21 May 2027 | New non-OECD export regime for non-hazardous waste starts (Article 40); independent audits of receiving facilities start (Article 46) | Regulation 2024/1157 |
The Switzerland exception doesn't cover the UK. And the plastics dates are EU export rules. They say nothing about a matching UK ban, and an EU-to-GB restriction doesn't automatically apply in the other direction.
The 2027 non-OECD regime isn't a blanket ban. Exports can go to countries on an authorised list for specific wastes. The Commission published a draft list on 18 September 2026 after requests from 32 countries, with consultation until 16 October 2026. A request isn't an approval. Check whether a final list has been adopted before you plan a route.
Legacy notifications
The old rules didn't simply stop. Under Article 85(3), notifications submitted under the old regulation keep the old rules only if the destination authority acknowledged them before 21 May 2026. Submission alone isn't enough. Treatment under an ordinary old Article 9 consent must be finished by 21 May 2027 (Article 85(5)). Pre-consented facility cases under old Article 14(2) have a separate shipment completion deadline of 21 May 2029 (Article 85(6)).
A word on WEEE and plastics
Under England's WEEE guidance, WEEE going for recovery to EU or OECD destinations generally needs notification, though processed material correctly classified under another specific waste entry follows that entry's controls. England's plastic waste guidance distinguishes B3011, Y48 and hazardous plastics, with destination-dependent controls. Check current destination rules for your waste code rather than assuming the EU's 2026 export bans also apply to England.
Before you ship
- Classify the waste and check it isn't mixed or contaminated beyond its code.
- Confirm whether the shipment is for recovery or disposal. Disposal routes are generally prohibited, with limited exceptions.
- Check the destination and every transit country's rules for that code.
- Pick the control route: Article 18 with Annex VII and a contract, or notification with consent and a financial guarantee.
- In England, register Article 18 export activity and follow any information notice.
- Keep records for three years in England, and for five years where an EU duty applies.
- For Northern Ireland routes, confirm the current position with DAERA or the NIEA.
To check a specific waste, route or code against the stored legal texts, you can ask RegAffairs AI the same question and open each cited source. For any shipment outside the OECD system, or anything for disposal, check the exact route with the competent authorities before the waste moves.