T6: treating waste wood and plant matter
T6 exemption allows you to chip, shred, pulverise or cut waste wood and plant matter to make it suitable for a specific purpose.
Applies to England
There鈥檚 a charge for most waste exemptions
This exemption is in band 1. Read waste exemption charges to find out what the charges and charging bands are.
Use this exemption to chip, shred, pulverise and cut waste wood so that it is suitable to make products such as:听
- 尘耻濒肠丑听听
- panel board听听
- 蹿耻别濒听
- surfacing for tracks and paths听听
Waste treated under T6 must be suitable for its intended purpose. For example, you cannot shred chemically treated wood to make animal bedding or compost.
When you do not need a T6 exemption听
Some activities that involve chipping, shredding, pulverising or cutting wood or plant matter do not need a T6 exemption. Check whether you need the exemption before you register it.
Virgin wood听and land management
Virgin wood means trees and branches resulting from forestry work or management of land, gardens and parks. Virgin wood is not classed as waste.
You do not need a T6 to chip, shred, pulverise or cut virgin wood.
You do not need a T6 for shredding twigs and leaves associated with tree surgery, or for clearing ground cover such as brambles, if it鈥檚 either:
- left there to benefit the ecosystem
- shredded for transporting elsewhere
Aerobic composting and anaerobic digestion
You do not need a T6 if you鈥檝e registered T23, T24 or T25 exemptions and you plan to chip or shred waste at the site of the exemption.
厂别别:听
- T23 鈥� aerobic composting听听听
- T24 鈥� anaerobic digestion on farms
- T25 鈥� anaerobic digestion not done on a farm听
Activities that need a T6 exemption
You need a T6 exemption to:
- chip untreated waste wood, for example for fuel in a boiler
- cut waste wood into a suitable size, for example for manufacturing into chipboard
- bring in waste wood and waste plant matter听from another site
- treat chemically treated waste wood that will be used as fuel in specialised incineration () or panel board manufacturing
Chemically treated waste wood is waste wood that鈥檚 been preserved, varnished, coated, painted or exposed to chemicals.
Check if you need other permits
You must comply with other rules that apply to your activity.
You will need an environmental permit or a different exemption if you want to treat or store:
- waste that is not listed in this exemption
- more waste than is allowed for each activity
Activities you cannot carry out
You cannot use a T6 to:
- sort waste wood听or waste plant tissue from other types of waste
- treat wood that has been sorted from mixed sources at a waste treatment facility听
- treat waste that鈥檚 intended for landfill or incineration (unless at a permitted R1-accredited incinerator)听
- treat wood that is鈥�hazardous waste鈥痙ue to chemical treatments
Conditions: types and amounts of waste听听
There are conditions around the types and amounts of waste you can chip, shred, pulverise or cut.
The waste must:
- match the waste codes and descriptions
- not exceed the amount allowed
Types of waste allowed
| Waste code | Type of waste |
|---|---|
| 02听01听03 20听02听01 |
Plant tissue waste |
| 03听01听01 03听03听01 17听02听01 |
Wood |
| 15听01听03 | Wooden packaging only |
Maximum amount you can treat and store
You can treat or store up to 500 tonnes of waste over any 7-day period.
You can store waste for up to 3 months after chipping, shredding, pulverising or cutting.
Register a T6 waste exemption听
You must register with the Environment Agency.
Charities register by phone
Charities do not pay for waste exemptions. If you鈥檙e a charity you鈥檒l need to phone the Environment Agency to register your exemptions free of charge.
Registration rules
You cannot:
- have more than one of the same exemption at a site, at the same time
- register an exemption if it鈥檚 already been registered at the site by another business
- renew your registration more than one month before the 3-year registration period ends
Charges for registering a T6 waste exemption
You鈥檒l pay:
- band 1 compliance charge for a T6 exemption
- a registration charge for one or more exemptions at a time
You may get a discount on the compliance charge if you register other exemptions at the same time.
See waste exemption charges to find out what the charges are.
Read waste exemptions guidance in full.
Related exemptions
You can use chipped, shredded, pulverised or cut waste wood with these exemptions:
Contact听the Environment Agency听
General enquiries
National Customer Contact Centre
PO Box 544
Rotherham
S60 1BY
Email enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk
Telephone 03708 506 506
Telephone from outside the UK (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm GMT) +44 (0) 114 282 5312
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
Updates to this page
-
Updated to clarify when a T6 is not needed for land management, such as shredding twigs from tree surgery or clearing and shredding ground cover like brambles.
-
Updated with information about charges and charging bands.
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Updated to explain when you do not need a T6 exemption. Clarifies the activities you can and cannot carry out under T6, and general rules for registering an exemption.
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Updated the message at the start to say changes to exemptions are expected to start in 2025 but that timescales have not been finalised.
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We have added information about changes to this waste exemption that are likely to happen during 2024 to 2025.
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In section 'Types of activity you cannot carry out' clarified that you cannot treat waste where the main purpose is to dispose of it to landfill or incinerate it (unless at a suitably permitted R1 accredited incinerator or co-incinerator).
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Clarified that don't to register a T6 for tree and forestry maintenance work where the wood is cut, chipped or shredded and is left on the ground or transported off-site for use elsewhere.
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First published.