Tree waste rules in Scotland: low risk waste activities, burning in the open, chipping and waste transport registration

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It covers Scotland only and follows the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) pages named below. SEPA says that from November 1, 2025 waste management activities are regulated under the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018, called EASR.

Low risk waste activities

According to SEPA's page on low risk waste activities, for certain low risk activities SEPA does not generally require an authorisation. It adds that if one of these activities causes or becomes likely to cause environmental harm, SEPA may take enforcement action, which can mean extra precautions, stopping altogether and remedial work. The guidance does not remove the Duty of Care for waste or the need to be registered to transport waste.

The conditions are set out in regulatory position statement WAS-PS-07, version 2, dated June 2026. It says the activities may be reviewed and changed or withdrawn at any time. Four of its numbered activities concern tree work.

Activity	What the position statement says
LRWA 5, cutting, chipping and shredding waste plant matter	Waste plant matter may be treated where it is produced, to make it easier to transport or to make mulch for use at the place of production. During maintenance work, brash may be cut, chipped or shredded and left on the ground where it was produced. Treatment must happen at the place where the plant matter or brash was produced.
LRWA 7, burning clean plant matter and untreated waste wood in the open	Allowed at the place where it was produced, for the wastes listed in the statement: plant tissue, sawdust, shavings and cuttings from untreated wood only, and waste bark and wood. No treated, painted or coated wood may be burned. No more than 10 tonnes may be burned in a 24 hour period. Waste must not be brought from another place for burning.
LRWA 8, burning waste trees and plants under a Plant Health Notice	Only where a Plant Health Notice requires it, at the site where the waste is produced or at the dock where it is unloaded, on hard standing at a dock, with no more than 15 tonnes burned in any 24 hour period.
LRWA 20, burning waste biomass as fuel in a small appliance	No more than 50kg of waste in 1 hour, and only the types listed, which include plant tissue, untreated wood, waste bark and cork, and untreated sawdust and wood shavings. Treated wood waste such as painted or stained pallets or door frames must not be burned.

Burning on campfires and bonfires has its own item, LRWA 2: waste wood may be burned in the open during community events, only if it is visibly clean, which excludes wood that has been painted or treated with chemical wood preservatives. Waste wood must not be burned in the open at waste management facilities.

Carrying waste

SEPA has two registrations for transporting waste. The page for transporting your own waste, EASR-SC-034, says it applies when only your own waste is carried, that it is a registration, that there are no fees, and that the registration has no specific standard conditions but the Duty of Care Code of Practice applies. It says the registration is not needed by someone who holds a transporting waste authorisation.

The page for transporting waste, EASR-SC-035, covers waste produced by another person. It is a registration with fit and proper person tests, which ask whether the applicant or additional persons hold relevant convictions or civil penalties. Its fee table lists GBP 304.10 for a new registration and GBP 198.55 for renewal, with a renewal fee every three years.

For other places see the table on tree waste and chip rules. England has its own rules on tree waste rules in England.

Tree waste rules in Scotland: low risk waste activities, burning in the open, chipping and waste transport registration

Low risk waste activities

Carrying waste

Sources