Before you hand over waste, check the carrier on the Environment Agency or Natural Resources Wales public register. This guide is not legal advice.
The duty of care code says you must take all reasonable steps when you transfer waste to another waste holder, and should use the public register to check any evidence the carrier gives you. (Waste duty of care code of practice)
Ask for the registration number
Ask the collector for their registered business name and waste carrier registration number, then look them up yourself. Don't rely on a badge, advert or what you are told.
A registration with Natural Resources Wales, the Environment Agency or SEPA is valid in England, Wales and Scotland. So a carrier working in Wales may be on the Environment Agency register, and the other way round. (Natural Resources Wales)
Search the Environment Agency register
Registered carriers, brokers and dealers appear on a public register. (GOV.UK) Open the Environment Agency register and search by business name, registration number, address or postcode, and tier.
Search the Natural Resources Wales register
Open the NRW check a waste carrier page. You can search by registration number, registered business name, address, operator type and registration tier.
Check the entry fits the job
Compare the name, number and address on the register with the business collecting your waste. A similar name is not a match.
Check the tier. The duty of care code says an upper tier registration allows a business to transport other people's waste, while lower tier registrations are mainly for organisations carrying their own waste. (Waste duty of care code of practice) Which of the two tiers a business falls into, and what each costs: upper or lower tier waste carrier?
Check where the waste is going
The code also says to check that the intended destination is authorised to accept the waste, for example that it has a registered permit or exemption. (Waste duty of care code of practice) You can find permits and exemptions on the Environment Agency's public registers (GOV.UK) and NRW's public registers (Natural Resources Wales).
If you are a household
The same check applies to waste from your home. The duty of care code says householders must take all reasonable measures to make sure they only give household waste to someone authorised to take it. In England, a registered carrier's number starts with CBDU. (Waste duty of care code of practice)
You don't fill in a waste transfer note for waste from your home. Natural Resources Wales says the collector is responsible for completing it. (Natural Resources Wales)
If you can't confirm the details
Call the Environment Agency on 03708 506 506 (England) or Natural Resources Wales on 0300 065 3000 (Wales). (Waste duty of care code of practice)
Sources
- GOV.UK: Waste duty of care code of practice
- Environment Agency: Register of waste carriers, brokers and dealers
- GOV.UK: Register or renew as a waste carrier, broker or dealer in England
- Natural Resources Wales: Completing waste transfer notes
- Natural Resources Wales: Check a waste carrier
- Natural Resources Wales: Check for a permit, licence or exemption
- GOV.UK: Access the public register for environmental information
Checked 1 November 2026.