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Environment Agency gov.uk

U13: spreading plant matter where it was grown, to benefit soil

Imported from official source

Read New rules from January 2027 to find out what to do.

There’s a charge for most waste exemptions

This exemption is in band 3. Read waste exemption charges to find out what the charges and charging bands are.

  • you are strimming plants along the central reservation of a motorway and want to leave the plants where they are cut to provide nutrients to the soil
  • you are strimming plants along the banks of a river or along a railway embankment and want to leave the plants where they are cut to stop weeds growing
  • bring in plant matter from other places to spread
  • move plant matter from where it is grown to spread it somewhere else unless it is treated first, see related exemptions

    • You need to make sure your waste fits within the waste code and the description.

    You can only spread plant matter under this exemption if, at the time of spreading:

  • the land has not been frozen for 12 hours or more in the preceding 24 hours
  • the land is not waterlogged, frozen or covered with snow

    • The maximum amount you can spread over any 12 month period cannot exceed 50 tonnes per hectare.

    You should only spread the minimum amount needed to provide benefits:

  • except for plant tissue spread on the bank of a waterway, you must not spread waste within 50 metres of a watercourse, spring, well or borehole
  • you should only use as much waste as is needed to achieve the intended benefit - if you apply more material than appears reasonable, the Environment Agency may consider this as disposal of waste

    • If you want to spread waste plant matter somewhere other than where it was grown, you could compost the waste under T23: aerobic composting and then spread it under either:

    This is an extract. The publication continues at the source.

    Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Licence

    Read the original at the source: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/waste-exemption-u13-spreading-plant-matter-to-provide-benefits

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    Organization
    Environment Agency — imported from official source
    Official source
    https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency.atom ATOM
    Imported
    October 21, 2026 09:00
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    Identity
    https://www.gov.uk/guidance/waste-exemption-u13-spreading-plant-matter-to-provide-benef...

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