For businesses
Waste carrier registration for man and van firms: £191.02
A man and van that takes away customers' rubbish needs an upper tier waste carrier registration, which costs £191.02 in England and £130.25 to renew every 3 years (GOV.UK, October 2026). From 22 July 2027, registration in England is replaced by environmental permits, with each upper tier carrier moving across when its current registration expires.
Do I need a waste carrier registration to take away rubbish?
Yes. GOV.UK says you must register if your business transports waste, and you can get an unlimited fine if you do not. That includes an old sofa, a broken bed frame or bags of rubbish a customer asks you to take after a move.
Moving a customer's belongings needs no registration. It is carrying away what they are getting rid of that does.
In England, a householder who hands waste to someone not authorised to take it risks a fixed penalty of up to £600 (GOV.UK, July 2023), so expect customers to ask for your registration number. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own registration processes.
Upper tier or lower tier?
A lower tier waste carrier registration is usually free of charge and is for businesses that only transport waste they produce themselves (GOV.UK). A customer's old furniture is not your waste, so a man and van that takes it needs the upper tier.
The waste duty of care code of practice says cases where a private business handling household waste can use a lower tier registration are very rare. The main exceptions are charities, voluntary organisations and waste collection authorities.
How much does upper tier registration cost?
In England, with the Environment Agency (GOV.UK, checked October 2026):
New registration: £191.02.
Renewal every 3 years: £130.25.
Changing what your business does, such as adding broker to a carrier registration: £49.62.
A change of legal business type, for example from sole trader to limited company, needs a new registration at £191.02. Tell the Environment Agency within 28 days if your contact details or management change. Your number starts with CB and appears on the public register.
What changes in 2027?
From 22 July 2027, waste carriers in England need an environmental permit or a registered exemption instead of a registration, under SI 2026/873, made on 22 July 2026. An existing upper tier carrier must have a permit from the day after its current registration was due to expire.
Apply more than three months before that date and your registration stays in force until the Environment Agency decides. Apply later and it ends on that date even if no decision has been made (regulation 30).
GOV.UK said in May 2026 that applicants will face identity, criminal record and technical competence checks, and that permit numbers must appear in advertising and on vans.
Do I need a waste transfer note?
Not from a householder getting rid of their own household waste. The duty of care code of practice says the transfer note requirement does not apply to them, though they must check you are authorised.
You do need a written description of the waste, agreed and signed by both sides, when you collect waste from a business, such as an office clearance, and when you hand any load on. It can be a paper transfer note, an invoice with the same information, or an electronic note through edoc. Take each load only to a site whose permit or exemption covers that waste.
Keep transfer notes for non-hazardous waste for 2 years, and hazardous waste consignment notes for three years.
Common questions
Do I need a waste carrier registration to move furniture?
No. Moving a customer's belongings from one home to another is not carrying waste. You need a registration only when you take away things the customer is throwing out.
Can I take a few bags of rubbish on a lower tier registration?
No. Lower tier covers waste your own business produces. Rubbish from a customer's home is their waste, so carrying it needs the upper tier.
Will my upper tier registration stop working on 22 July 2027?
No. Under SI 2026/873 it stays valid until the date it was due to expire. You need a permit or registered exemption from the day after that date.