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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/landspreading-apply-to-deploy-mobile-plant/landspreading-provide-a-waste-and-receiving-soil-analysis

As part of your landspreading deployment application, you must provide the full analytical results for:

We expect you to get advice on the type and extent of the analysis from a person with the appropriate technical expertise. For example, a fertiliser advisers certification and training scheme (FACTS) qualified adviser.

The benefit statement uses the waste and receiving soil analyses to describe the benefits and potential risks from storing and spreading each waste stream to the receiving soil.

For both the waste and receiving soil analyses you must consider contaminants, including the limits for potentially toxic elements (PTEs). The PTE limits are set to protect animal health and the food chain. You must use the Sewage sludge in agriculture: code of practice for the PTE limits. This applies to all deployments for any waste type.

Use an accredited laboratory to analyse the waste and soil samples.

If you are landspreading waste soil you must use the Environment Agency Monitoring Certification Scheme (MCERTS). We recommend using MCERTS for all other types of waste and the receiving soil analysis, but it is not a requirement.

The accredited laboratory must use appropriate methods for sample preparation, analysis and reporting. For example, you can use:

a laboratory that holds relevant independent accreditation, such as UKAS accredited laboratories

Tried and Tested – Professional Nutrient Management and the Soil Association list of providers

The waste stream you store and spread must be a single waste with a code and description. It must be listed and match the description in your standard rules permit. If it does not, you need to apply for a bespoke permit.

These are 2 examples of a single waste stream each generated from a single site:

If you mix these waste streams together for ease of storage or spreading, you must list and describe them as separate waste streams in your Landspreading: form LPD1 application for deployment.

You can spread a maximum of 10 waste streams under one deployment.

Each waste stream you list in your deployment application must:

give agricultural benefit or ecological improvement

be suitable for direct use – no treatment is allowed for example to use one waste to buffer or neutralise the acidic properties of another

The analysis must be representative of the waste that will be spread. That is, the waste tested is the same as the waste you spread. The analysis must be done:

within 12 months of the deployment application date by an accredited laboratory

more recently if the waste producer has changed any waste inputs or treatment processes

before it is mixed for ease of storage or spreading

identify for testing the substances reasonably expected to be present in the waste

justify the choice of substances for testing, and those not tested

select parameters for analysis that are relevant to the waste type

provide evidence of the benefit or improvement the nutrients or properties will provide

know any potential negative impacts and describe them

provide evidence of any potential contaminants in the waste that may cause disbenefit to the crop or land

provide evidence that the waste application will not cause build-up of PTEs in the receiving soil to an unacceptable level

describe the type of sampling and analysis done to quantify the concentrations of substances present

You can get information from:

Landspreading: benefits and risks of the waste types you can use

Find guidance in Appendix D: Waste classification technical guidance WM3 on how to do waste sampling. Using this will provide confidence in the reliability and interpretation of the results.

You can use professional judgement and the following resources and standards. They provide information and guidelines on waste sampling for some waste types:

These British Standards are available to buy:

Use these examples of typical analytical suites and parameters that we expect to see in your waste analysis:

This list is not prescriptive, exhaustive or a minimum requirement of what you need to analyse for.

You may need a specific waste analysis for:

Include any other properties of the waste stream that may affect the soil.

You must review the test results to check for:

You can use the following to help you to assess the potential benefits or negative impacts for your benefit statement:

PAS 100 Specification for composted materials

When we assess your application, we:

We may ask for more analysis if we think your test results do not:

When we approve your application it does not guarantee that using the waste is safe. A new or previously unidentified issue may arise. For example, a new hazard or property not included in your application. It is important to do a thorough assessment. Consider for example, that some materials may be taken up by plants and bioaccumulate in the food chain.

You must provide an accurate and representative receiving soil analysis for each parcel of land you will treat.

The results of your waste analysis will quantify the nutrients it can provide when it is spread. The results of the soil analysis will show the current soil status. By looking at both you can assess which soil properties need adjusting and by how much.

You must use the results to produce the benefit statement and provide evidence of how your analysis allows you to claim agricultural benefit or ecological improvement.

For soil descriptions and guidance on soil sampling see identify and describe the soil in Landspreading: how to manage soil health.

The analytical suite must reflect the physical and chemical properties of the soil. It must be specific to your deployment. You can base your soil sampling on your understanding of:

Where appropriate, justify any substance or property of the soil that is not analysed for.

You must consider the potential site-specific risks from the waste stream to the receiving soil. These include for example:

These are the type of analytical suites and parameters we expect to see in your receiving soil analysis:

This list is not prescriptive, exhaustive or a minimum requirement of what you should analyse.

Use the soil analysis to help you to understand how the applied waste will affect the nutrient reserves and availability as well as the behaviour of any trace minerals and PTEs.

For PTEs, you must consider previous sources that have built up in the soil, such as from:

Use the Sewage sludge in agriculture: code of practice for PTE limits.

6.3 for PTE limits in soil used for arable farming

6.4 for PTE limits in soil used as grassland

6.5 for the limits for acidic soils with a low pH

When analysing for PTEs you must make sure the laboratory can achieve these limits of detection in mg/kg of dry matter:

Schedule 1 of Sewage (Use in Agriculture) Regulations sets out the requirements for testing sludge.

If a previous receiving soil analysis showed PTEs to be approaching threshold values, then you will need to provide a new analysis of these parameters.

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