Tree waste rules in England: bonfire, chip and carrier registration

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It covers England only and follows the Environment Agency and GOV.UK pages named below.

Waste exemptions in general

The GOV.UK guidance Register your waste exemptions, last updated February 26, 2026, says there is a charge for most waste exemptions and that exemptions are valid for 3 years from registration. It says registration is free for a charity working exclusively for a charitable purpose. Waste activity along a road, river, track or other linear network is registered separately.

Burning brush and wood at the place it was produced (D7)

The Environment Agency's D7 exemption page, last updated July 1, 2025, covers burning certain waste on a bonfire at the place it was produced. It gives a landscape gardener or farmer burning hedge trimmings and branches where they were cut as an example, and a joiner burning untreated shavings. Untreated means not preserved, varnished, coated, painted or exposed to chemicals. D7 sits in charging band 3, and farmers pay a capped charge to register any number of exemptions from a list that includes D7.

Plant tissue, sawdust, shavings and cuttings from untreated wood, and waste bark and wood are the listed waste types.
The limits are 10 tonnes burned in any 24 hours, 20 tonnes stored at one time, and storage for up to 6 months before burning to let the waste dry.
The waste may only be burned at the place it was produced, outside on open land where smoke and smell will not be a nuisance to neighbours.
D7 cannot be used to bring waste from somewhere else, to burn it in an incinerator or to burn it in a boiler.

The page says householders burning their own garden waste do not need to register. It names three better options than a bonfire: U4 for burning untreated wood waste as fuel in a small appliance, T23 for composting plant tissue, and T6 for chipping, shredding or cutting untreated waste wood. The GOV.UK garden bonfires page covers the household side, including the council's powers over nuisance.

Using wood chip on site (U1)

The GOV.UK U1 exemption page lets farmers, builders and other businesses use suitable waste in construction and maintenance. The listed activities include building a track, path or bridleway using road planings, rubble or woodchip. The exemption lasts 3 years from registration, sits in charging band 1, and does not allow storing waste for more than 12 months before use. The waste must not be contaminated with pollutants such as plastic, asbestos fragments or oils.

Carrying waste to another site

The GOV.UK page on waste carrier registration says a business must register if it transports waste, and that an unlimited fine is possible for not registering. Registration is usually free if a business only transports waste it produces itself. Otherwise it costs GBP 191.02. An upper tier registration must be renewed every 3 years at GBP 130.25, and a lower tier registration need not be renewed. Details changes must be reported to the Environment Agency within 28 days.

Paperwork for each load

The GOV.UK page Dispose of business or commercial waste says a business must complete a waste transfer note for each load that leaves its premises and check that the carrier is registered. It says any waste from a commercial activity is business waste, including waste from agriculture and construction. It adds that a business that wants to dispose of its own waste regularly must register as a waste carrier.

For other places see the tree waste rules overview.