Environmental permitting explained
Some facilities could harm the environment or human health unless they are controlled. The Environmental Permitting regime requires operators to obtain an environmental permit for some facilities. The aim of the regime is to:
- protect the environment and human health,
- deliver permitting and compliance effectively and efficiently in a way that provides increased clarity and minimises the administrative burden on both the regulator and the operators of facilities,
- encourage regulators to promote best practice in the operation of regulated facilities, and
- fully implement relevant legislation.
You must have an environmental permit if you operate a regulated facility in England or Wales. A regulated facility includes:
- installations or mobile plants carrying out listed activities;
- waste operations;
- waste mobile plant; or
- mining waste operations.
Listed activities include:
- energy - burning fuel, gasification, liquification and refining activities;
- metals - manufacturing and processing metals;
- minerals - manufacturing lime, cement, ceramics or glass;
- chemicals - manufacturing chemicals, pharmaceuticals or explosives, storing chemicals in bulk;
- waste - incinerating waste, operating landfills, recovering waste;
- solvents - using solvents; or
- other - manufacturing paper, pulp and board, treating timber products, coating, treating textiles and printing, manufacturing new tyres, intensive pig and poultry farming.