Overview
The law requires all scrap metal dealers to hold a licence with their local authority. Go to Legislation: Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013.
What is scrap metal
Scrap metal includes:
- any old, waste or discarded metal or metallic material
- any product, article or assembly which is made from or contains metal and is broken, worn out or regarded by its last holder as having reached the end of its useful life
The following are not considered to be scrap metal:
- gold
- silver
- any alloy of which 2% or more by weight is attributable to gold or silver
Types of licence
There are 2 types of licence:
A licence can be issued to an individual, a partnership, or a company. You cannot hold both a site and collector's licence issued by the same council at the same time.
Site licences and collector's licences are each valid for 3 years.
There are record keeping requirements for site operators and collectors. This includes:
- records of metal received and disposed of
- details of who metal was received from
- the documents used to verify the name and address of the supplier
- the payment
More guidance is available at GOV.UK: Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 – supplementary guidance.
Fees
Licence type | Site | Collector |
---|---|---|
New | £494 | £315 |
Renewal | £408 | £262 |
Variation | £112 | £112 |