MRF Regulations

The MRF Regulations, sometimes known colloquially as the MRF Code of Practice (MRF CoP), were published in February 2013 and required all material recovery facilities over a certain size to measure the quality of their inputs and outputs. In October 2024 these regulations were amended and the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 entered into force which aims to place a greater onus on the frequency of sampling and the range of materials to be measured.

Introduction

The MRF Regulations, sometimes known colloquially as the MRF Code of Practice (MRF CoP), were published in February 2013 and required all material recovery facilities over a certain size to measure the quality of their inputs and outputs. The MRF Regulations introduced a new requirement to make all results from these tests publicly available, for example to businesses buying the material as well as to Local Authorities and others who supply material to the MRFs . It did not set any minimum quality standards. A full list of sites can be found on the page Qualifying MRFs.

At the beginning of October 2024 the regulations were amended to place a greater onus on the frequency of sampling and the range of materials to be measured; more facilities were brought into the scope of the new Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 which were not previously included such as facilities which receive single waste streams and facilties which consolidate waste material into bulk quantities.

The regulations place the onus on the operator of the site to self-assess whether their facility is a MF (Materials Facility) under the regulations.

MRF Code

The MRF Code of Practice is enacted through Part 2 Sch 9 of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 as amended by the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 which entered into force in October 2024 and required that MRFs to whom the regulations applied must:

• sample and test the materials they receive and send out
• record the information
• report every 3 months to the regulator

The Regulations apply to any facility (known as 'Qualifying MRFs') that receive over 1,000 tonnes or more of ' Waste Material' which is waste that is:

• Household Waste, or oriniates from a source other than household waste but is similar to household waste in terms of its nature and composition
• has been seperately collected (whether as a single kind of material or two or more kinds of material mixed together) for the primary purpose of preparing it for reuse or recycling, and
  • consists (whether wholly or in part) of any of the following kinds of material—
  • Glass
  • Metal
  • Paper
  • Card
  • Plastic
  • Fibre based composite material

Wastes 'similar to household waste' are those typically found in a household waste stream such as plastic bottles (typically ≤5 litres), pots, tubs and trays (PTTs) used for food packaging, flexible plastic packaging, glass bottles and jars, food tins, steel or aluminium drinks cans, newspapers and magazines and cardboard packaging.

Material Facilities which are in scope

A facility (or part of a facility) may be classed as a MF if you:

• hold a permit under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016
• receive and handle waste classed as waste material
• consolidate waste material into bulk quantities from multiple suppliers - for example, bulking or transfer stations
• sort incoming waste material into specified output materials, such as aluminium cans or cardboard

A facility (or part of a facility) will not be considered a MF if:

• it only receives waste material from a single supplier and does not seperate the material into specified out put materials
• It is a HWRC
• it solely undertakes the processing or sorting of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), waste batteries or accumulators.
• it solely undertakes the processing and sorting of residual waste.

Examples of materials facilites

Facilities likely to be considered MFs include

• materials recovery facilities (MRFs) sorting household dry recyclables
• Commercial and Industrial Waste facilities that receive waste material to consolidate or sort into specified output materials
• Waste Transfer Stations (WTS) that receive waste material to consolidate or sort into specified output materials
• facilites receiving and sorting single streams such as paper and cardboard
• facilities consolidating waste material received from 2 or more suppliers into bulk outputs

Material Facilities which are out of scope

Facilites not likely to be considered MFs include:

• commercial and industrial MRFs that consolidate and sort commercial and industrial wastes, unless the commercial waste meets the definition of waste material
• MRFs or parts of MRFs sorting only residual waste (‘dirty’ MRFs)
• mechanical biological treatment (MBT) facilities, unless they accept material that meets the definition of waste material and undertake MRF operations on part of the site
• refuse derived fuel (RDF) including solid recovered fuel (SRF) production facilities
• MRFs sorting materials from Construction and Demolition Waste

What counts as waste material

The material received is likely to be considered waste under the regulations if it meets the following criteria:

• it’s from a household source or it’s from a non-household source and is similar to household waste in nature or composition
• it was separately collected for the primary purpose of preparing for reuse or recycling
• it’s a single kind of material (a single stream) or multiple materials mixed together (a multiple stream)
• it contains one or more material types including glass, metal, paper, card, plastic, or fibre-based composite materials.

Assessing whether you are a materials facility

You are probably operating a MF under the regulations if:

• you receive waste material which is:
  • prepared for recycling or reuse
  • includes sorting the waste material into specified output materials suppliers into commom bulked quantities.

You are not a MF if:

• only consolidate waste material from a single supplier into bulked outputs
• do not prepare the material for reuse or recycing

Input sampling, measuring and recording

As a MF receiving 1,000 tonnes or more of waste material in 12 months and you meet the criteria above (as a facility within the scope of the new regulations) then sampling, measurement and recording of information by each individual supplier must be undertaken.

This involves measuring and recording the following:

• the total weight in tonnes of input waste material for each supplier during each reporting period
• the name and address of the supplier (or of each supplier) for each batch of material
• the date on which the batch of material was received, from which a sample has been taken

For input sampling the following information must be taken and recorded for each input sample:

• its composition in relation to the input sampling categories
• details of each supplier from whose inputs the sample was taken
• total weight in kilograms of each sample
• date the sample was taken
• details of the sampling methodology used to take a representative sample

In addition to measuring and recording the above, you also need to report:

• the total number of samples taken for each supplier
• the total weight of all samples

Input sample size and frequency

An input sample must be taken for every 75 tonnes of incoming waste material received for each supplier in a given reporting period.

The samples must meet the following requirements:

• the minimum weight of each sample is 55kg
• the average weight of all samples taken should be at least 60kg

Input sampling categories

The composition of all the samples taken against specific categories must be measured. You must measure and record the weight of all categories identified in kilograms.

Measurement of all input samples must be undertaken to identify whether the material is:

• target material
• non-target material
• non-recyclable material

Target material refers to one or more kind of materials identified by the operator of a MF, as destined for:

• separation from waste material received
• consolidation to produce bulk quantities of the identified material

Non-target material is material that may be recyclable but is not identified as a target material by the operator of the MF.

Non-recyclable material is waste material that currently cannot be viably recycled.

Input material types

There are 10 input material categories:

• glass
• aluminium
• steel
• paper
• card
• plastic bottles
• plastic pots, tubs and trays
• film or other flexible
• other plastic
• fibre-based composite material

Fibre-based composite material is a category of packaging material that is typically made of paperboard or paper fibres and laminated with plastic.

Materials to be sampled - Outgoing

Sampling of Specified Output Materials must be undertaken with consideration given to the grade of material output from the MF. Example grades might include clear PET bottles and green glass. The frequency of sampling is as follows:

Sampling Frequency and Size

Material	Sampling frequency from 1st Oct 2016	Sample size (kg)	Change from October 2024
Paper	Every 60 tonnes produced	50	Unchanged, but measured by grade and proportion of packaging and DRS material
Glass	Every 50 tonnes produced	10	Unchanged, but measured by grade and proportion of packaging and DRS material
Metal	Every 20 tonnes produced	10	Unchanged, but measured by grade and proportion of packaging and DRS material
Plastic	Every 15 tonnes produced	20	Unchanged, but measured by grade and proportion of packaging and DRS material
Fibre-based composites	from October 2024	from October 2024	every 60 tonnes, 50kg sample, Umeasured by grade and proportion of packaging and DRS material

Sampling Planning

MFs should develop a quarterly plan for sampling of input materials from different suppliers and for Specified Output Materials based on the requirements set out in the Regulations. Sampling should be scheduled so it is as representative as possible i.e. arranging for the incoming material to be undertaken at different times and on different days and for Specified Output Material, samples should be taken at different times and on different days as well as taken from all shifts including night and weekend shifts if possible .

A review of the overall sampling approach was published in July 2023 and the approach was found to be satisfactory.

Record Keeping and Reporting Requirements

The Regulations require reports to be submitted to the Regulator every 3 months. The four reporting periods each year are:

• 1 January to 31 March. Returns due by 30 April.
• 1 April to 30 June. Returns due by 31 July.
• 1 July to 30 September. Returns due by 31 October.
• 1 October to 31 December. Returns due by 31 January

Reports must be submitted to the Regulator electronically within one month of the end of the Reporting Period.

For an incoming Mixed Waste Material the following information is required:

• The total weight in tonnes of Mixed Waste Material received at the MF from each Supplier requiring sampling under the Regulations.
• The total number of samples taken for each of these Suppliers.
• The total weight in kilograms of all samples taken for each of these Suppliers.
• The Average percentage composition of target glass, metal, paper and plastic in Mixed Waste Material delivered by each of these Suppliers, based on all applicable sample results.
• The Average percentage composition levels of Target Material, Non-Target Material and Non-Recyclable Materials delivered by each of these Suppliers, based on all applicable sample results.
• The standard deviation of the Average percentage composition level of Target Materials for each of these Suppliers, based on all applicable sample results.

For outgoing material leaving the MF in a given Reporting Period the following infomation is required:

• The total weight in tonnes of each Specified Output Material that leaves the MF
• The total weight in tonnes of Mixed Waste Material transferred to other MFs for the purposes of separating into Specified Output Materials and the destination of each MF transfer.
• The total weight in tonnes of all other waste that leaves the MRF|MF]] and details of where it has been sent.
• The total number of samples taken for each Specified Output Material.
• The total weight in kilograms of all samples taken for each Specified Output Material.
• The Average percentage of all samples by reference to grades of glass, metal, paper and plastic
• The Average percentage of Target Materials, Non-Target Materials and Non-Recyclable materials by grades of glass, metal, paper or plastic in the samples
• The standard deviation of the Average percentage composition levels for the Target Materials, based on all of the applicable sample results.