Expiry dates for COVID-19 regulatory position statements

To minimise COVID-19 related disruption to the environment and human health, the Environment Agency has published a catalogue of temporary regulatory position statements. Upon evaluation, many of these time-limited statements have had their expiry dates extended. Wiser Environment has reviewed each COVID-19 regulatory position statements and listed their expiry date. To make the most of these regulatory position statements and maintain compliance, contact the team at Wiser Environment.


Documented in the Environment Agency’s (EA) response to COVID-19, the regulator asserts that their “priority is to protect people and the environment and to support those we regulate.” In acknowledgement of the significant COVID-19 challenges the waste and resource industry faces, the EA published a collection of regulatory position statements (RPS) that provide operators with some compliance wiggle room. For example, the RPS C2 allows waste sites to exceed their waste storage limits if they are unable to remove the waste due to COVID-19.

As the industry gradually moves towards traditional normality, the EA plans to review each of their COVID-19 RPSs. If the regulator determines that an RPS is still needed, then they will extend the expiry date. However, the EA does explicitly state that it is the operator’s responsibility to check if an RPS is still applicable. To help support operators, Wiser Environment has reviewed each RPS and created an accessible table to highlight expiry dates.

Expiry dates for COVID-19 regulatory position statements

RPS NumberDescriptionExpiry Date
RPS C1Cleansing and PPE waste at a healthcare waste management facility31/03/2021
RPS C2Exceeding waste storage limits at permitted sites because of COVID-1930/09/2020
RPS C3Water and Sewerage Company OSM and UWWTR sampling affected by COVID-1930/09/2020
RPS C4Incinerating specified healthcare wastes at a municipal waste incinerator30/06/2020
RPS C5PPE waste from home healthcare workers treating patients with COVID-1931/03/2021
RPS C6Storing treated sewage sludge you cannot move because of COVID-19 restrictions30/09/2020
RPS C7Monitoring emissions from some environmental permitting activities30/09/2020
RPS C8Social distancing when signing and handing over waste transfer and consignment notes in person31/03/2021
RPS C9COVID-19 and packaging waste: registering as a packaging producer08/07/2020
RPS C10Reporting for installations, radioactive substances and waste permits30/09/2020
RPS C11Emissions to air from large combustion plant during black start events31/07/2020
RPS C12COVID-19 and spreading slurry or milk on land, or storing slurry30/09/2020
RPS C13Accumulating radioactive waste that you cannot transfer because of COVID-1931/03/2021
RPS C14COVID-19 and delaying hazardous waste consignee returns31/07/2020
RPS C15COVID-19 and exceeding permit limits for medical use of radioactive substances31/03/2021
RPS C17COVID-19 and storing waste at unpermitted sites due to exceeding your storage limits30/09/2020
RPS C18Emissions to air from Large Combustion Plant in the Transitional National Plan30/11/2020
RPS C20Monitoring emissions from some environmental permitting activities31/01/2021

Maintain compliance

The Wiser Environment team is available to help operators maintain compliance. These COVID-19 RPSs can help protect permitted operations and put businesses in the best place possible to survive the crisis. For more information or assistance with utilising an RPS, please contact Wiser Environment or call on 01480 462232.

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