T6 waste exemption: treating waste wood and plant matter
A T6 exemption allows you to chip, shred, pulverise or cut waste wood and plant matter to make it suitable for a specific purpose.
Applies to England
Use this exemption to chip, shred, pulverise and cut waste wood so that it is suitable to make products such as:聽
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mulch聽聽
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panel board聽聽
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fuel聽
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surfacing for tracks and paths聽聽
Waste treated under T6 must be suitable for its intended purpose. For example, you cannot shred chemically treated wood to make animal bedding or compost.
When you do not need a T6 exemption聽
Some activities that involve chipping, shredding, pulverising or cutting waste wood do not need a T6 exemption. Check whether you need the exemption before you register it.
Virgin wood聽
Virgin wood means trees and branches resulting from forestry work or management of land, gardens and parks. Virgin wood is not classed as waste.
You do not need a T6 to chip, shred, pulverise or cut virgin wood.
Aerobic composting and anaerobic digestion
You do not need a T6 if you바카라 사이트檝e registered T23, T24 or T25 exemptions and you plan to chip or shred waste at the site of the exemption.
See:聽
Activities that need a T6 exemption
You need a T6 exemption to:
- chip untreated waste wood, for example for fuel in a boiler
- cut waste wood into a suitable size, for example for manufacturing into chipboard
- shred waste plant matter, for example to move it to a facility for composting
- bring in waste wood and waste plant matter聽from another site
- treat chemically treated waste wood that will be used as fuel in specialised incineration () or panel board manufacturing
Chemically treated waste wood is waste wood that바카라 사이트檚 been preserved, varnished, coated, painted or exposed to chemicals.
Check if you need other permits
You must comply with other rules that apply to your activity.
You will need an environmental permit or a different exemption if you want to treat or store:
- waste that is not listed in this exemption
- more waste than is allowed for each activity
Activities you cannot carry out
You cannot use a T6 to:
- sort waste wood聽or waste plant tissue from other types of waste
- treat wood that has been sorted from mixed sources at a waste treatment facility聽
- treat waste that바카라 사이트檚 intended for landfill or incineration (unless at a permitted R1-accredited incinerator)聽
- treat wood that is바카라 사이트�hazardous waste바카라 사이트痙ue to chemical treatments
Exemption conditions: types and amounts of waste聽聽
There are conditions around the types and amounts of waste you can chip, shred, pulverise or cut.
The waste must:
- match the waste codes and descriptions
- not exceed the amount allowed
Types of waste allowed
| Waste code | Type of waste |
|---|---|
| 02 01 03 20 02 01 |
Plant tissue waste |
| 03 01 01 03 03 01 17 02 01 |
Wood |
| 15 01 03 | Wooden packaging only |
Maximum amount you can treat and store
You can treat or store up to 500 tonnes of waste over any 7-day period.
You can store waste for up to 3 months after chipping, shredding, pulverising or cutting.
Registering your waste exemption聽
You must register your T6 exemption with the Environment Agency. You can register through the waste exemption service.聽
Registration rules
You cannot:
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have more than one of the same exemption at a site, at the same time
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register an exemption if it바카라 사이트檚 already been registered at the site by another business
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renew your registration more than one month before the 3-year registration period ends
Related exemptions
You can use chipped, shredded, pulverised or cut waste wood with these exemptions:
Contact聽the Environment Agency聽
General enquiries
National Customer Contact Centre
PO Box 544
Rotherham
S60 1BY
Email enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk
Telephone 03708 506 506
Telephone from outside the UK (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm GMT) +44 (0) 114 282 5312
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
Updates to this page
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Updated to explain when you do not need a T6 exemption. Clarifies the activities you can and cannot carry out under T6, and general rules for registering an exemption.
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Updated the message at the start to say changes to exemptions are expected to start in 2025 but that timescales have not been finalised.
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We have added information about changes to this waste exemption that are likely to happen during 2024 to 2025.
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In section 'Types of activity you cannot carry out' clarified that you cannot treat waste where the main purpose is to dispose of it to landfill or incinerate it (unless at a suitably permitted R1 accredited incinerator or co-incinerator).
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Clarified that don't to register a T6 for tree and forestry maintenance work where the wood is cut, chipped or shredded and is left on the ground or transported off-site for use elsewhere.
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First published.