Environmental Protection Act

The Environmental Protection Act (EPA) makes provision for the control of pollution from certain industrial and other processes. The EPA (amended 1995) introduced a new waste licensing system, which was further enhanced in the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994.

The Act deals with issues relating to:

• Waste on land, defining all aspects of waste management and places a duty on local authorities to collect waste.
• The ways in which a Waste Disposal Authority (WDA) may contract out the disposal to a private company.

Organisations will have to apply for Waste Management Licenses at its sites to cover the operation and process being used to recover and recycle waste. These licenses are issued and policed by the Environment Agency.

For more information on the Environmental Agency visit our web resources.