Site waste management plan template
Clients, planning conditions and BREEAM often ask for a site waste management plan. List the waste you expect, how you will reduce, reuse or recycle it, who takes it away, and log each load as it leaves.
What the law says
The Site Waste Management Plans Regulations 2008 made plans compulsory for construction projects over £300,000 in England. They were revoked from 1 December 2013, so a plan is no longer a legal requirement in itself, but it is still often required by clients, planning conditions and sustainability schemes.
The duty of care for waste still applies to everyone who produces it: use registered carriers and permitted sites, describe the waste on a transfer note for each load and keep the notes. Hazardous waste, such as asbestos, needs a consignment note.
Is a site waste management plan still a legal requirement?
Not in England since 1 December 2013. You may still be asked for one by your client, a planning condition or a scheme such as BREEAM, and it is a simple way to show you are meeting your waste duty of care.
How long do I keep waste transfer notes?
In England, keep waste transfer notes for at least two years and hazardous waste consignment notes for at least three years.
How do I check a waste carrier is registered?
Search the public register of the Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA in Scotland or NIEA in Northern Ireland, and note the registration number on the plan.
Checked against IEMA and Defra notices on the revocation of the SWMP Regulations 2008 on 31 October 2026. This page is general guidance, not legal advice.