Vol. II, Issue 047 Thursday 28 May 2026 Free — Published Weekly
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◆ Waste · Logistics · Recycling · Aggregates · Civil ◆

The Waste Note

Industry Intelligence for the People Who Move Material

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Every Thursday
Industry Digest
Regulation

EA permit backlogs now averaging 14 weeks

Operators across the South East report permit variation timelines stretching to three months, creating acute pressure on expansion plans ahead of summer construction season.

Aggregates

PAS 101 revision — what changes for recycled aggregate producers

The updated standard tightens contaminant thresholds and introduces new classification tiers. Producers have 18 months to comply.

Markets

Road planings offtake prices hold despite asphalt plant overcapacity

Demand from highway maintenance programmes is absorbing available reclaimed asphalt planings, keeping gate prices stable through Q2.

Lead Story · Waste Logistics

Gate fees up 11%.
Who's absorbing
the cost?

Landfill tax rises and constrained permitted capacity are squeezing margins across the entire chain — from the waste producer to the transfer station operator to the final disposal site.

Rising landfill gate fees are reshaping commercial relationships across the waste logistics chain. The combination of April's landfill tax uplift and a tightening of permitted disposal capacity at major sites has forced a renegotiation of pricing assumptions that many operators had baked in for years. Several large waste producers — particularly in construction and demolition — are reporting informal approaches from hauliers seeking mid-contract uplifts. In most cases, the waste producer is being asked to absorb between 60 and 80 percent of the increase. Transfer station operators find themselves in a more complex position. Those with their own permitted disposal capacity can offset some pressure, but independent operators are seeing their margins compress from both ends. The full picture and what it means for your contracts in this week's lead analysis.

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In This Edition
Contents — Issue 047
The Lead: Gate Fees Q1p.1
Market Movementsp.2
Highways Contractsp.3
Regulation Watchp.4
The Quick Fivep.5
One To Watchp.6
4K+Readers
58%Open Rate
200+Sources
5mRead Time
"A newsletter that actually understands how the waste chain works. Not written for policy people — written for people who move material."

— Operations Director, Regional Transfer Operator
EWC Codes Covered

17 05 04 · 17 09 04 · 19 12 12
20 03 01 · 19 08 05 · 17 01 07
10 13 14 · 02 01 03 · 19 12 10
and all streams in between

01 —
Waste Logistics

Haulage rates, carrier licensing, transfer stations, consignment notes and the movement of waste streams across the chain.

02 —
Processing & Recycling

MRF operations, recovery rates, recycling commodity markets, offtake contracts and material quality specifications.

03 —
Aggregates

Primary and recycled aggregate supply, quarry output, pricing benchmarks and PAS 101 compliance.

04 —
Highway Works

National Highways frameworks, surfacing contracts, asphalt supply, road planings and civils procurement.

05 —
Regulation & Policy

EA permits, landfill tax, extended producer responsibility, duty of care obligations and emerging legislation.

News Desk
Latest intelligence from UK waste, recycling & environment
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What's Inside
Every edition of The Waste Note contains the same six sections — nothing more, nothing less
I

The Lead

One big story from the week, properly explained. Not just a headline — context, implications and what it means for your operation.

II

Market Movements

Gate fee trends, aggregate pricing, recycling commodity rates and haulage benchmarks — the numbers that move margins.

III

Contracts & Tenders

Notable frameworks awarded, tenders worth watching and procurement intel across highways and waste infrastructure.

IV

Regulation Watch

EA updates, policy consultations, permit changes and compliance deadlines — before they catch you out.

V

The Quick Five

Five short stories from across the supply chain — waste logistics, processing, aggregates, civils and recycling markets.

VI

One To Watch

A trend, technology or business worth following — the kind of thing that starts small and reshapes the whole industry.

Recent Stories
From the archive — every edition available to subscribers
Waste Logistics · Lead · Issue 044

The transfer station squeeze: why capacity is tightening across the South East and what it costs you

A combination of planning refusals, permit challenges and rising land values has quietly reduced permitted transfer capacity across the region. The knock-on for gate fees — and for waste producers trying to place material — is becoming impossible to ignore. We mapped every permitted facility lost in the last three years.

The data points to a structural shortage, not a temporary blip. Several operators are now routing material 40 miles further than they were in 2023 — and absorbing the cost silently, for now.

Highway Works

National Highways' new surfacing framework: the lots, the winners

Issue #046 · 4 min
Recycling Markets

Recycled aggregate demand rising — but quality spec disputes are slowing the market

Issue #045 · 5 min
Regulation

EA permit backlogs are hitting operators — and the enforcement gap is growing

Issue #043 · 4 min
Market Intel

Landfill gate fees Q1: where rates moved and who's absorbing the cost

Issue #042 · 3 min
One To Watch

The small processor quietly building the South West's most efficient C&D recycling operation

Issue #041 · 5 min
Who Reads The Waste Note
4,000+ professionals across waste, logistics, aggregates and civil construction
Waste Managers & Directors
Waste Producers · Local Authorities · Operators

Stay across gate fee movements, regulatory changes and what competitors are doing with their waste streams.

Logistics & Transport Managers
Hauliers · Carriers · Fleet Operators

Track haulage benchmarks, carrier licensing updates and the procurement frameworks that define the next cycle.

Civils & Highways Professionals
Contractors · Consultants · Specifiers

Follow National Highways frameworks, aggregate supply constraints and the recycled materials market.

Processing & MRF Operators
MRFs · Transfer Stations · Processors

Material quality standards, offtake trends, recovery benchmarks and the policy landscape shaping demand.

Commercial & Business Dev
Sales · Procurement · Strategy

Market intelligence to understand where deals are moving and which frameworks are worth pursuing.

Consultants & Advisors
Environmental · Planning · Commercial

Keep clients briefed with a clear picture of where the market, regulation and infrastructure investment is heading.

From Readers
What the industry says
— Reader

Finally a newsletter that actually understands how the waste chain works. Not written for policy people — written for people who move material.

Dan Hartley
Operations Director, Regional Transfer Operator
— Reader

The gate fee tracking alone is worth the subscription. I forward it to my commercial team every Thursday without fail.

Claire Moss
Commercial Manager, Bulk Haulage
— Reader

I work across aggregates and highways procurement — this is the only publication that covers both sides of the picture without dumbing it down.

Rob Ashworth
Senior Buyer, Tier 1 Highways Contractor

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Every Thursday morning. Plain language, no filler, real intelligence from across the waste logistics, recycling, aggregates and civil construction industries.

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