Any company or organisation in the UK carrying controlled waste as a part of its business (other than waste produced by themselves) must be registered by one of the agencies. For construction waste, even businesses carrying their own wastes need to be registered. This is a vital link in the waste Duty of Care to protect people and the environment from illegal waste management and disposal.

Householders are not businesses and do not need to register as waste carriers. Some exemptions apply - usually for charities etc. Using a Registered Carrier, including the local council, is the most common way for waste producers to have their wastes removed from their premises. There are around 70,000 registered waste carriers in England and Wales - registered by the Environment Agency, about 6,000 in Scotland registered by SEPA and about 1,500 in Northern Ireland registered by EHSNI. If you are not sure if you should register, check these websites.

If you are a waste producer relying on a registered carrier - you should check their credentials, and ask for their registration number.  The Environment Agency in England, Scotland and Wales has a Waste Enforcement Exchange which allows for exchanging information on waste and enforcement.  By logging into the Carriers a Brokers database waste producers can check who is registered as a waste carrier.

Registration is required by law:

 Controlled Waste (Registration of Carriers and Seizure of Vehicles) Regs 1991
 Controlled Waste (Registration of Carriers and Seizure of Vehicles) Regs (Northern Ireland) 1999.

Full details can be found on the NETREGS website.

Registration is normally for a fixed period of 3 years and renewable after that.

Registration can be refused or revoked if:
 the carrier has been convicted of an environmental crime;
 if the agency believes it is undesirable for the carrier to continue to be authorised.

It is an offence to carry waste without being registered. The Agencies hold and maintain registers and can monitor compliance by stopping carriers and requiring evidence of their authority to carry waste.