Waste development covers the use of any land or buildings for the storage, treatment, processing, transfer, bulking-up, recycling, recovery, or final deposit of any substance classified as 'waste'.
Planning permission is usually required for these operations, although in some cases an existing area of land or a building may already allow the treatment of waste, which is regarded as equivalent to any other B2 industrial development. Local amenity and pollution prevention need special consideration in planning applications.
EU Directives relating to waste include the:
- Waste Incineration Directive (WID)
- Mining Waste Directive
- End of Life Vehicles Directive (ELV)
- Waste Electrical Directive
- Waste Framework Directive
- Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE)
Compliance with these Directives is essential, to prevent pollution and ensure safety.
Definition of waste and legislation
For planning purposes waste can be simply defined as any substance surplus to requirements which would otherwise need to be disposed of.
You can read more about the legal definition of waste and the relevant development legislation at: