Composting of green 'waste'

I'm obsessed with composting. The thought of hedge trimmings going to landfill or burning piles of leaves makes me all queasy. All that potential humus wasted. I don't see green 'waste', I see potential compost and, in turn, better soil.

Last winter I applied for a composting exemption from the environment agency. I registered an area of my allotment as a paragraph 12 exemption from a waste management license. This allowed me to compost 10 cubic metres of green waste. The application process required a scale map of the area with details of surrounding premises/watercourses etc and a simple risk assessment. The registration itself was free. I have a waste carriers license and I have been diverting the 'good' green waste all year and keeping records of what/from where/to where etc.

Over this season I've diverted nearly 100 bulk bags of source green waste into the process. It is all shredded in my globe forester shredder and shoveled back into bulk bags for composting. On average the source material has been reduced in volume eight-fold.

I pay £40 per tonne over the weighbridge to dispose of green waste and reckon I have saved close to £400 in waste charges this year. However, I have spent time and fuel shredding the waste, overall it has probably worked out cost-neutral.

Any undesirable green waste (stumps/soil-heavy roots/perennial weeds etc) still gets disposed of in the customers garden waste bins or at the waste station but 'good' stuff (hedge trimmings, grass clippings, leaves etc) is shredded and composted or, in the case of leaves, is shredded and stacked for leaf mould.

I noticed over the last week that the exemption rules changed in Spring. The registration process for a composting exemption is now even more simple and requires nothing more than a grid reference and the promise to abide by a few rules. The limit has also been boosted significantly to 60 tonnes. I sent my application off last week.

Composting exemption details here:

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Business/T23_exemption.pdf

Gary RK said:

Tim,

Having read this - my initial take is that you can not use this exemption if the waste you produce and subsequently use to compost is generated by commercial activity (ie you been paid to 'generate' the green waste).

All the cross references talk about schools, allotment associations, charities etc. I can not find any mention of exemptions for commercial businesses.

Also, I am sure that if you intend to sell on the subsequent compost for gain, an exemption is not allowed.

Do you know of anywhere there is more explicit definitions on this ?

I would love to be wrong as we were unable to obtain a exemption or license a couple of years ago under the previous rules. It intrigues me anough to call the EA and find out if as a business we can apply for exemption

This 'gateway' page to exemption info is headed up "Business and Industry": http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/permitting/323...

I applied for my chapter 12 exemption as a business and I know that this was looked at by a 'real person' at the Agency as specific reference was made to a school that lies about 200m away from my site. No mention was made of whether it was a commercial venture.

Was your application for composting? If so, what was the volume? Anything more than 10m3 (which isn't a lot) in the past and you required a very detailed risk assessment (bioaerosol risk etc)

Having spent hours deciphering the newly "simplified" rules on the website I'd be interested in any response you get from the Agency. It took me a chain of 6 emails to get a position on another matter.

Maybe we can work toward getting a definitive position for the landscaping/maintenance industry?

Spreading the compost elsewhere is covered in another exemption: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Business/U11_...

Replies

Nic Johnson December 5, 2010 at 6:01pm

sounds interesting might ive just bought a chipper as its easier to chip than rounding up a fire and end up with compost as well
Matt Brown December 5, 2010 at 7:22pm

when i took on my allotment 6 years ago i couldnt dig it, even my heavy duty two wheel rotavator wouldnt scratch it it was that thick with clay. since then i've spread about 6 inches of horse manure over it and about the same of home brew compost and its now so crumbly i can grow anything, i am a huge follower of composting i have been known to ask market traders if they have any green scraps from their veg stalls. if something is suitable for composting then i compost it, i have a container in my kitchen a friend of mine brings me the used tea bags from his office, theres about a carrier bag per week. my news paper either gets made into plant pots or screwed up and thrown in the compost. toilet roll middles get used as plant pots for beans and peas or thrown in the compost, egg shells go in as do egg boxes a neibour of mine keeps chickens and he brings his used bedding round and that goes in. the waste food that isnt compostable goes in the dog,

we also have council collections of glass, plastic, foil and tins. they do collect paper, cardboard, waste cooking oil, batteries, car batteries there are more.

i could get away with putting my black bin out every 6 months but i usually put it out fortnightly as i think if we dont use it we loose it. i also have a green council bin but that only gets used for conifer cuttings although i have composted them before.
Tim Haywood December 5, 2010 at 7:27pm

Pro Gard said:
Do you sell the multch on / use it at clients? or just stockpile it

I only started composting my trade green waste this year so there is only about 2 bulk bags ready for use at the moment. (I did turn the first couple of cubic metres for a while to speed up composting but that idea goes out the window when you have about 18 bulk bags full.) I'm just going to spread it on my allotment - although the soil there is lovely and friable it has suffered over the years from old-school gardeners whose idea of soil care is to apply growmore. It is completely dead, I've only ever seen a couple of worms.

A winter project is to complete a trommel to sieve the compost through. I've got the sieve bit sorted, I just need to motorise it.
PRO

Gary RK December 5, 2010 at 8:08pm

Tim,

Having read this - my initial take is that you can not use this exemption if the waste you produce and subsequently use to compost is generated by commercial activity (ie you been paid to 'generate' the green waste).

All the cross references talk about schools, allotment associations, charities etc. I can not find any mention of exemptions for commercial businesses.

Also, I am sure that if you intend to sell on the subsequent compost for gain, an exemption is not allowed.

Do you know of anywhere there is more explicit definitions on this ?

I would love to be wrong as we were unable to obtain a exemption or license a couple of years ago under the previous rules. It intrigues me anough to call the EA and find out if as a business we can apply for exemption
PRO

Gary RK December 5, 2010 at 8:30pm

Interesting paragraph from the FAQs on the new simplified application process for exemptions (if ever they could be simple):

Q: Can the operator, who presumably is the permit holder, be either a company or an individual? Do they need to be a registered waste carrier?<</b>br/>
A: Anyone can apply for a permit. For guidance on what an operator is, see Regulatory Guidance Note ‘Understanding the meaning of operator (RGN EPR1)’ available at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/permitting/32338.aspx
A person has to be registered as a waste carrier if they are carrying waste as part of a trade or business. There are exceptions to this rule, for example if they are carrying their own waste (except if it is construction or demolition waste). More information on carriers and brokers is available at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/sectors/wastecarriers.asp
Tim Haywood December 5, 2010 at 8:40pm

Gary RK said:
Tim,

Having read this - my initial take is that you can not use this exemption if the waste you produce and subsequently use to compost is generated by commercial activity (ie you been paid to 'generate' the green waste).

All the cross references talk about schools, allotment associations, charities etc. I can not find any mention of exemptions for commercial businesses.

Also, I am sure that if you intend to sell on the subsequent compost for gain, an exemption is not allowed.

Do you know of anywhere there is more explicit definitions on this ?

I would love to be wrong as we were unable to obtain a exemption or license a couple of years ago under the previous rules. It intrigues me anough to call the EA and find out if as a business we can apply for exemption

This 'gateway' page to exemption info is headed up "Business and Industry": http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/permitting/323...

I applied for my chapter 12 exemption as a business and I know that this was looked at by a 'real person' at the Agency as specific reference was made to a school that lies about 200m away from my site. No mention was made of whether it was a commercial venture.

Was your application for composting? If so, what was the volume? Anything more than 10m3 (which isn't a lot) in the past and you required a very detailed risk assessment (bioaerosol risk etc)

Having spent hours deciphering the newly "simplified" rules on the website I'd be interested in any response you get from the Agency. It took me a chain of 6 emails to get a position on another matter.

Maybe we can work toward getting a definitive position for the landscaping/maintenance industry?

Spreading the compost elsewhere is covered in another exemption: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Business/U11_...
Tim Haywood December 5, 2010 at 8:47pm

Gary RK said:
Do you know of anywhere there is more explicit definitions on this ?

From: here:
"The obligation to register exempt operations only applies to organisations such as companies, partnerships, authorities, societies, trusts, clubs, charities or other organisations. Individuals acting in a purely private capacity can still benefit from the exemptions but don‘t need to register."
PRO

Gary RK December 5, 2010 at 9:05pm

Thanks Tim,

I know that dealing with EA can be a frustrating experience. Yes our previous attempt would have involved much more than 10m3, plus we were within 250m of a residential property.

Then we got onto 'bunds' & concrete pads - talk about hardwork....
Tim Haywood December 23, 2010 at 6:41pm

Just to complete this thread: I have been away in Munich but came home to find a letter from the Environment Agency on the doormat showing that my waste exemption has been granted.
PRO

Stuart @ Eco Garden Maintenance August 16, 2011 at 8:51am

Hi Tim.

How's it going with the composting? Any problems? I'm a compost junkie too