Published by the Environment Agency on December 16, RPS 361 allows sites which have been impacted by unplanned downtime at biomass plants, incinerators and panel board manufacturing facilities to apply to temporarily exceed their permitted storage limits.

Importantly, the RPS applies to sites storing wood destined for panel board manufacture for the first time. These sites were excluded from the previous RPS, known as RPS 352, which was launched in June and the WRA has been advocating ever since for these sites to be included.

The RPS comes following ongoing pressure in the waste wood market, with many sites inundated with material – something the WRA has been in regular discussions with the regulators about across the four nations.

“We welcome the launch of this new RPS specifically for waste wood,” said Vicki Hughes, technical lead on the WRA Board.

“At what is a very challenging time in the market, this RPS gives permitted sites storing waste wood in England the opportunity to apply for additional storage and help ensure this material is not sent to landfill or incineration.

“We are also delighted that the Environment Agency has listened to our feedback about the details of the RPS and has included sites which handle wood destined for panel board manufacture in its scope and also promised to take into account past issues with plants, as we have made them aware that the problem isn’t just arising now, it’s the impact of the previous six months.”

“We will be making the regulators in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland aware of this new RPS for England and discussing approaches with them.”

The new RPS was first announced at the WRA’s members’ meeting in Birmingham earlier this month.

Speaking at the meeting, Howard Leberman, senior adviser and team leader at the Environment Agency, said: “We are going to replace RPS 352 with another Regulatory Position Statement specifically for waste wood, so if there are pressures through your end destination – incinerator or panel board manufacturing – you can take advantage of the RPS.”

“You have to tell us you want to use it and you have to get our agreement that you can use it and you will need to justify, looking at your contingencies, why you need to go above your limits, by how much and for roughly how long and more importantly, how are you going to manage that extra risk,” he added.

RPS 361 is due to be reviewed by July 31, 2026. Full details of the RPS can be viewed here.