Tree waste rules in Wales: waste exemptions, burning plant waste in the open and waste carrier registration with Natural Resources Wales

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It follows two Natural Resources Wales (NRW) pages and the GOV.UK page for the D7 burning exemption that NRW points to. Fees are in pounds sterling (GBP).

Which regulator

On its page to register or renew your waste exemptions, NRW says a business must register with the regulator in the country where it is based. A business based in Wales registers with NRW, one based in England with the Environment Agency, and one in Scotland with SEPA. NRW says the lists of exemptions are on GOV.UK, and that although the GOV.UK pages state they apply to England only, the exemptions are exactly the same in Wales.

Exemptions in Wales

NRW says it is free to register or renew all waste exemptions except the T11 exemption for waste electrical and electronic equipment. A registration lasts three years and can be renewed within the month before it expires. If the renewal date is missed, a new application is needed. NRW says that if conditions are not met, the registration is invalid and the work is operating illegally, and that an exemption does not remove duties under waste duty of care, waste carrier rules or planning permission. It says activity done outside the limits of an exemption could lead to enforcement action. Temporary storage exemptions known as the non-Waste Framework Directive exemptions do not need registering, and NRW tells readers to call it to find out which low risk waste positions apply in Wales.

The GOV.UK D7 exemption page, last updated July 1, 2025, says joiners, gardeners, farmers and similar businesses can burn untreated wood and plant waste of their own on a bonfire where it was produced, and gives hedge trimmings and branches as an example. It lists plant tissue, untreated sawdust, shavings and cuttings, and waste bark and wood. The limits it gives are 10 tonnes burned in any 24 hours, 20 tonnes stored at one time and storage for up to 6 months to let it dry. The burning must take place outdoors on open land, with smoke and smell not a nuisance to neighbours. The page says D7 cannot be used to bring waste from elsewhere, to burn in an incinerator or in a boiler, and that householders burning their own garden waste do not need to register it. The page puts D7 in charging band 3 for England, while NRW says registration of this exemption is free in Wales.

Waste carrier registration

According to the NRW page on registering as a waste carrier, broker or dealer, anyone who transports waste as part of a business or organisation usually needs to be registered, and carrying waste without registration is a criminal offence. The page lists people who do not need to register, including householders carrying waste produced at home, landowners removing fly-tipping and people carrying waste only within the same premises. NRW says a lower tier registration has no charge and needs no renewal. A new upper tier registration costs GBP 184 and lasts three years, and renewing it before expiry costs GBP 126. All registrations are VAT exempt. Changes to registration details must be reported within 28 days, and NRW sends a certificate with the registration number as proof.

The D7 details above are adapted from guidance by the Environment Agency on GOV.UK and used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

For other places see the table on tree waste and chip rules. The neighbouring rules are on the England page.

Tree waste rules in Wales: waste exemptions, burning plant waste in the open and waste carrier registration with Natural Resources Wales

Which regulator

Exemptions in Wales

Waste carrier registration

Sources