Is Your Waste Carrier Licensed? How to Check and Protect Your Business
When commercial waste is collected from your premises, responsibility does not automatically disappear as the vehicle drives away.
Businesses have a Duty of Care to take reasonable steps to ensure their waste is transferred to an authorised organisation and managed legally.
That makes checking your waste provider an important part of commercial waste compliance. For a broader overview of your responsibilities, read our UK Business Waste Regulations 2026/27 guide.
What is a registered waste carrier?
In England, organisations generally need to register if they transport waste, buy or sell waste, dispose of waste, or arrange for someone else to manage waste as a broker.
Although the term “waste carrier licence” is commonly used, the official Environment Agency terminology is waste carrier, broker or dealer registration.
The relevant registration depends on the organisation and activity. Businesses should not rely solely on a logo, certificate displayed on a website or verbal assurance.
How do I check a waste carrier?
The Environment Agency provides a searchable public register of Waste Carriers, Brokers and Dealers. Search the Waste Carriers, Brokers and Dealers register
You can search using information such as:
- company name
- registration number
- address
- postcode
- registration type
Where appropriate, also verify that waste is being taken to suitably authorised facilities.
What do upper tier and lower tier mean?
Waste carrier, broker and dealer registrations in England are divided into upper tier and lower tier.
Lower-tier registration generally applies where an organisation only carries waste it produces through its own business activities, subject to exceptions such as construction and demolition waste. Charities and certain organisations handling specified waste types may also qualify.
If those lower-tier criteria do not apply, the organisation will normally require upper-tier registration. This includes businesses transporting other organisations’ waste, acting as waste brokers, or buying and selling waste. Verify upper-tier and lower-tier waste registrations
Upper-tier registrations must generally be renewed every three years, while lower-tier registrations do not normally expire.
Checking waste carriers in Wales and Scotland
Registrations issued by the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales or SEPA are recognised across England, Wales and Scotland, so the important thing is to identify which regulator the provider is registered with and verify the registration there.
Depending on where your provider is registered or operating, records may need to be checked with the relevant regulator, including:
- Environment Agency waste register - England
- Natural Resources Wales waste carrier register - Wales
- SEPA waste transporter register – Scotland, where registered waste carriers are referred to as waste transporters from 1 April 2026.
The Environment Agency's register also explains how Scottish and Welsh registrations interact with operations in England.
Why does this matter?
Illegal waste disposal can cause significant environmental and reputational damage.
In March 2026, Defra published a new Waste Crime Action Plan, setting out further measures to prevent and enforce against serious waste crime in England. Defra Waste Crime Action Plan
Businesses therefore have good reason to undertake basic supplier due diligence. A suspiciously cheap waste collection is not necessarily good value if the waste cannot be accounted for properly.
Keep your Waste Transfer Notes
Authorisation is only one part of Duty of Care.
Businesses should also retain appropriate documentation describing the waste and its transfer.
For non-hazardous waste, both parties normally retain the relevant Waste Transfer Note information for two years.
GWR's Duty of Care guide explains Waste Transfer Notes, season tickets and other core responsibilities. Read the GWR Duty of Care guide
Five questions to ask your waste provider
Before entering an agreement, establish:
- Is the business appropriately registered?
- What waste streams can it legally manage?
- Where will your waste be taken?
- What documentation will you receive?
- What happens if your requirements or collection frequency change?
These questions are particularly important for businesses operating across multiple locations, where several local collection partners may ultimately be involved.
Commercial waste with clearer accountability
GWR Waste Management supports businesses across Great Britain through a nationwide network of commercial waste services.
Our aim is to give customers a clear point of contact while coordinating the waste streams, collections and compliance documentation their sites require.
Explore our nationwide coverage to see the areas GWR supports. GWR nationwide waste collection coverage
If you are unsure whether your current waste setup is suitable, request a
free waste audit.
Request a free waste audit
Great Western Recycling Limited, trading as GWR Waste Management, is registered with the Environment Agency as a Carrier, Broker and Dealer – Upper Tier (registration CBDU47006). Businesses can independently verify our registration on the Environment Agency public register. Verify GWR Waste Management on the Environment Agency public register
