§ Mr. LetwinTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what rules govern whether waste may be(a) composted and (b) directly applied on farms without (i) planning permission and (ii) Environment Agency approval. [30728]
§ Mr. MeacherPPG 10 "Planning and Waste Management" advises that the large-scale commercial composting of green waste will generally require planning permission. The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 requires a planning application to be submitted for the importation of waste onto farms unless it is for use in certain specified engineering or building works. It is for local authorities to determine in the first instance whether planning permission is required in each case.
Both composting and landspreading of waste for agricultural benefit are classified as waste recovery operations under the waste framework directive. This means that anyone carrying out these operations must do so under the terms of either a waste management licence issued by the Environment Agency under Part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 or a licensing exemption registered with the agency. Licensing exemptions for composting and landspreading of waste are provided in the Waste Management Regulations 1994 regulation 17 and schedule 3 paragraphs 7 and 12.