How to dispose of invasive non-native plants

Many will be aware of the most common invasive plants, such as Japanese knotweed, Giant hogweed, and Himalayan balsam, but there are in fact almost 40 species facing restrictions in England and Wales alone.

36 of these plants are known as ‘species of special concern’ and subject to a number of conditions, while three further species are banned from sale under the Wildlife and Countryside Act – Scotland makes its own decisions on which species to ban.

Where such plants have to be removed, landscaping businesses have two broad options when it comes to disposal: on site or off site.

Disposing of invasive plants on site

For on-site disposal, the Environment Agency (EA) has produced a so-called regulatory position statement (RPS), which sets out the rules or conditions businesses must follow.

These conditions include but are not limited to:

• Bury or reuse material on the site from which it originates.
• Have a management plan which sets out how you will dig up, treat, or bury the material to prevent further growth or spread beyond the site.
• Bury the material in an area that is likely to be undisturbed and more than 7 metres away from an adjacent landowner’s site.

The RPS includes a number of special conditions for burying Japanese knotweed due to its unique vigour and persistent rhizomes.

Plants can also be burned but businesses must first register and comply with a D7 waste exemption and then follow the RPS conditions when burying the resulting ash or any remaining material on site.

If you have any questions about the RPS, or you are struggling to comply with the conditions therein, please email the EA at enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk with RPS 178 in the subject line.

Off-site disposal

Disposing of invasive plants at a different site to the one where it originates requires formal engagement with the Environment Agency, both for transporting the material and its actual disposal.

In order to transport invasive plant waste, you must either register as a waste carrier and transport it yourself – registration is usually free if you only transport self-produced waste – or search for a registered carrier who can transport it on your behalf.

If you plan to transport the waste yourself, you will have to search a different register to find a disposal site with an appropriate environmental permit – which unfortunately can be quite difficult.

The Environment Agency recommends searching for local waste operations and picking out site types ‘A06’, ‘L02’ and ‘L03’, then you would need to contact the sites and check they accept invasive plant waste.

Contacting the Environment Agency

It may be worth contacting the Environment Agency in one of the following ways to discuss these options further and ensure any future activity falls within the regulations:

Email: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

Telephone: 03708 506 506