Waste Carrier Licence
Every carrier on RubbishBids holds a valid Environment Agency waste carrier licence. Here's what that means for you and why it matters.
What is a waste carrier licence?
A waste carrier licence (formally a "Waste Carrier, Broker and Dealer Registration") is issued by the Environment Agency (EA) and is a legal requirement for any business that transports, buys, sells, or arranges the disposal of controlled waste in England and Wales.
Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Controlled Waste (Registration of Carriers and Seizure of Vehicles) Regulations 1991, it is illegal to transport controlled waste without a valid registration. Penalties include unlimited fines and vehicle seizure.
As a waste producer (whether a homeowner or a business), you have a legal "duty of care" to ensure your waste is handled by a licensed carrier. Using an unlicensed carrier could expose you to prosecution.
What a valid licence means
- The carrier is registered with the Environment Agency
- They are legally authorised to transport controlled waste
- They must dispose of waste at licensed facilities
- They must provide a waste transfer note for every collection
- Their registration is publicly verifiable on the EA public register
- They are subject to EA enforcement and inspection
How we verify carriers
Before any carrier can receive jobs on RubbishBids, they must pass our verification process. We take compliance seriously — an unlicensed carrier on our platform would put our customers at legal risk.
Licence submission
Carriers must provide their EA waste carrier registration number during onboarding.
EA register check
We cross-reference the registration number against the Environment Agency public register to confirm it is valid and active.
Ongoing monitoring
Carrier licences are subject to periodic re-verification. Carriers with lapsed or revoked licences are immediately suspended from the platform.
Your duty of care
Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, anyone who produces, imports, carries, keeps, treats, or disposes of controlled waste has a legal duty of care. This means you must:
When you use RubbishBids, every carrier who bids on your job is EA-licensed, and every collection comes with a waste transfer note. You can use the Platform with confidence that your duty of care obligations are being met.
Verify a carrier yourself
You can independently verify any waste carrier's registration on the Environment Agency public register. Simply search by company name or registration number.
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