Waste Transfer License
Attaining environmental permits (commonly known as a ‘waste transfer license) from the environment agency to operate a waste transfer station is more time consumer and costly than ever. Not toi mention the vast amount of time spent waiting for the permit to become live, that is if, it is granted.
When I opened my transfer station I completed the forms and undertook the whole process myself. I would strongly advise against this now, that is unless you have sufficient confidence and experience in the working g the process.
Back when I applied for my permit, I had already begun building g a relationship with some of the teams from the environment Agency. I’d sent them a couple of perspective sites and attained a little bit of an ‘off the record’ opinion as to whether I would attain a permit.
Once I had found a site that I thought would be suitable a member of the team came out to inspect the site with me before I committed to the rent and fees associated with making the application. I doubt this would be possible in today’s World but it is definitely an approach I recommend at least trying. Plus, it puts you on their radar in a positive manner rather than which is exactly the way I’d suggest trying g to keep it.
If that doesn’t work the best route to go down would be employing the services of an environmental consultant. As to pricing I really couldn’t hazard a guess at t=what the price would be today. Having a knowledgeable consultant on your side is pretty much paramount in todays world so this is a good starting point for building a good working relationship with one.
My first permit took about 12 weeks to arrive, the next one I did for a second site (using a consultant) took over a year. Other site owners I have spoken to recently have experienced the same long delays.
Planning permission
If the land you’re operating on doesn’t have the correct use, it is important to attain a change of use from the local authority. My factors impact decisions on both the permit and change of use, from sites of important historical use to the position of houses close to the site. Being away from houses is important, waste transfer stations are noisy, dusty, dirty, and messy. The more the site you are planning to operate from is further away from the houses and neighbours in the general the better. Again using a planning consultant is a important as with the environmental consultant the high expense at the start of the process could save you a lot of time and money in the long run.
Conclusion
If and when the permit is in place, make sure to adhere to your permit, read over it. Unannounced inspections are guaranteed, nobody wants them so have your site in order as best as possible, adhering to what is stated in the permit. Frpom experience, the better managed your site is the less frequent the inspections are. Build your management systems with the permit in mind. All good staff like rules and roder, have places set out for individual waste streams, floors regularly swept, signs up, first aid boxes in place etc. What is asked in the permit is quite simple and the eartlier you implement the rules the better your system will work.
You can find a vast amount of concise and information on the .gov website here, waste transfer permits.