The New Materials Facilities Regulation: What You Need to Know Now

As of 1 October 2024, stricter materials facilities (MFs) rules are in force across England and Wales. These changes, introduced under The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2023, require many waste facilities to meet new sampling, measuring, and reporting standards.

If your facility handles 1,000 tonnes or more of waste annually and consolidates or sorts materials, it’s crucial to ensure you meet these requirements to avoid penalties and maintain compliance.

If you are unsure whether your facility might qualify, try our Waste Sampling & Reporting Assessment Tool today and get instant results directly to your inbox.

What Defines a Materials Facility?

A materials facility (MF) is any site that:

• Receives waste material for recycling or reuse.
• Consolidates waste from multiple suppliers into bulk outputs.
• Sorts waste into specified streams, such as glass, metals, plastics, or paper.

Facilities not classified as MFs include those solely handling:

• Single-stream waste.
• Residual waste.
• Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) or batteries.

Compliance with the new regulations is mandatory if your facility qualifies as an MF.

Key Responsibilities for Materials Facilities

To comply with the updated regulations, material facilities must:

1. Notify the regulator (Environment Agency in England or Natural Resources Wales) if they process 1,000 tonnes or more of qualifying waste annually.
2. Conduct input and output sampling for incoming and outgoing materials.
3. Submit quarterly reports with detailed waste composition and supplier information.

Sampling and Reporting Requirements

The new Materials Facilities regulation requires detailed sampling and reporting to ensure transparency and improve waste quality. Facilities must conduct both input sampling (to assess incoming waste) and output sampling (to track outgoing waste) and submit quarterly reports to the regulator.

Here's a breakdown of what’s required:

Input Sampling

• Take a sample for every 75 tonnes of incoming waste from each supplier.
• Classify materials into categories: target, non-target, and non-recyclable.
• Record the weight, supplier details, and material composition of all inputs.

Output Sampling

Conduct sampling for waste leaving the facility, with requirements varying by material type:

• Plastic: Once every 15 tonnes, sample size 20kg.
• Glass: Once every 50 tonnes, sample size 10kg.

• Report on material grades, packaging proportions, and drink container content.

Quarterly Reporting

Reports must be submitted within one month after each quarter’s end and include:

• Total tonnage of incoming and outgoing waste.
• Sampling data, including frequency and composition by material category.
• Supplier and destination information.

Dates to add to your diary to submit reports to the regulator:

If you are an MF, you must evaluate the amount of waste material you are expected to receive over the next 12 months.

This evaluation must be done at the beginning of each quarterly reporting period.

The reporting periods are:

• 1 January to 31 March
• 1 April to 30 June
• 1 July to 30 September
• 1 October to 31 December

You must take into account the quantity of waste material received in the past 12 months as part of this evaluation.

Timely submission is crucial to avoid regulatory penalties.

Compliance Risks and Penalties

Regulators actively monitor compliance and facilities that fall short could face serious consequences. Here’s what’s at stake:

• Audits and inspections by the regulator.
• Fines or enforcement actions for non-compliance.

Regulators keep an eye on adherence through site visits, desktop reviews, and data audits.

Steps to Make Sure Your Facility is Compliant

1. Check your operations: Does your facility handle more than 1,000 tonnes annually? Are you sorting or consolidating waste?
2. Develop a sampling methodology: Ensure processes are in place for representative sampling and accurate reporting.
3. Submit your reports on time: Late or missing reports can trigger regulatory actions.

Need Help Navigating the Regulations?

If you’re unsure about your obligations, our Waste Sampling & Reporting Assessment Tool can help determine if your facility qualifies as an MF and guide you through compliance.

Stay ahead — make sure your operations align with the latest regulations to avoid penalties.

Gaea can integrate with your existing ERP to simplify reporting. Get in contact to learn more.