UK Act of Parliament 1990 United Kingdom

Environmental Protection Act 1990

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At a glance

What's here

86 compliance obligations, 46 practical guides across 4 topics · 31 journeys · 15 statutory instruments

Penalty landscape

15 of 86 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 33 carry different penalties and 38 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Any Person 42
  • Occupier 9
  • Director or Officer 1

Plus 34 non-business duties on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.

Step-by-step journeys using this legislation

Walkthroughs that take you from a real business situation to compliance.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Direct — cites this Act

17 guides

Supporting — topic alignment

23 guides

Mentioned in related content

6 guides
View all 46 guides →

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Any Person also bound by 749 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Occupiers also bound by 101 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Directors and Officers also bound by 224 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Part I — Integrated Pollution Control and Air Pollution Control by Local Authorities

s.004

Discharge and scope of functions.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local authorities and regulators must manage pollution control functions Local authority
s.020

Public registers of information.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Enforcing authorities must maintain and provide public access to environmental registers Statutory regulator
Browse 23 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part II — Waste on Land

s.033

Fixed penalty notices for contravention of section 33(1)(a): England

Fine up to £1,000
  • Fail to give name or address when required (or give false details) Any Person
s.033

Fixed penalty notices for contravention of section 33(1)(a): Wales

Fine up to £1,000
  • Fail to give name or address when required by authorised officer Any Person
s.034

Power to search and seize vehicles etc

Unlimited fine
  • Fail to assist or give false information to officers searching vehicles Any Person
s.034

Prohibition on disposal of food waste to sewer

Unlimited fine
  • Discharge food waste into public sewer Occupier
s.034

Fixed penalty notices: offences under section 34(6) relating to section 34(2A): England

Fine up to £1,000
  • Fail to give name or address when required by a fixed‑penalty notice Any Person
s.034

Fixed penalty notices: offences under section 34(6) relating to section 34(2A): Wales

Fine up to £1,000
  • Fail to provide name and address to waste enforcement officer (Wales) Any Person
s.034

Fixed penalty notices for offences under section 34(6): Scotland

Fine up to £1,000
  • Fail to give name, address or DOB when required for fixed penalty notice Occupier
s.037

Variation of licences.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulators must modify waste licences to prevent pollution or harm Statutory regulator
s.042

Supervision of licensed activities.

Unlimited fine
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulators must supervise waste licences and enforce compliance Statutory regulator
s.044

Duty to prepare integrated waste management plan

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Scottish local authorities must prepare integrated waste management plans Local authority
s.044

Approval of integrated waste management plan

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local authorities must publish and share approved waste management plans Local authority
s.044

Implementation of integrated waste management plan

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local authorities must implement and report on waste management plans Local authority
s.044

Modification of integrated waste management plan

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local authorities must modify and submit waste management plans Local authority
s.045

Collection of controlled waste.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local authorities must collect commercial waste upon request Local authority
s.045

Wales: separate collection etc. of waste

Unlimited fine
  • Fail to follow waste separation requirements Any Person
s.045

Sections 45A to 45AZB: duties of waste collectors

  • Document why you are collecting mixed recyclable waste streams Any Person
s.045

Sections 45AZA and 45AZB: compliance notices

Unlimited fine
  • Fail to comply with an EPA compliance notice Any Person
s.045

Separate collection of dry recyclable waste and food waste: Scotland

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local authorities in Scotland must arrange separate waste collections Local authority
s.046

Fixed penalty notices for offences under section 46

Fine up to £1,000
  • Fail to give or give false name/address/DOB when issued a fixed penalty notice Occupier
s.046

Guidance

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Scottish Ministers must issue guidance on waste penalty procedures Crown / Minister / Government department
s.047

Recycling and composting: duty to report to Parliament

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State must report on local authority recycling performance Crown / Minister / Government department
s.062

Special provision with respect to hazardous waste in England and Wales

2 years imprisonment
  • Breach hazardous waste regulations Any Person
s.064

Public registers.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulators must maintain public registers of waste licences and enforcement Statutory regulator
s.073

Use of fixed penalty receipts : Wales

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local authorities in Wales must limit use of fixed penalty income Local authority
Browse 67 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.033

Section 33 offences: investigation and enforcement costs

s.033

Section 33 offences: clean-up costs

s.033

Section 33 offences: forfeiture of vehicles

s.034

Fixed penalty notices for certain offences under section 34

s.034

Seizure of vehicles etc : supplementary

s.034

Electronic waste tracking

s.034

Further provision about regulations under section 34CA

s.035

Compensation where rights granted pursuant to section 35(4) or 38(9A).

s.036

Consultation before the grant of certain licences.

s.037

Consultation before certain variations.

s.040

Consolidated Licences

s.044

National waste strategy: England and Wales.

s.044

National waste strategy: Scotland.

s.045

England: separate collection of household waste

s.045

Code of practice

s.045

England: separate collection of household waste from relevant non-domestic premises

s.045

England: separate collection of industrial or commercial waste

s.045

Sections 45A to 45AZB: powers to exempt and extend

s.045

Sections 45 to 45AZD: guidance

s.045

Sections 45AZA and 45AZB: appeals against compliance notices

s.045

Power to apply section 45A to Welsh waste collection authorities

s.046

Written warnings and penalties for failure to comply with requirements relating to household waste receptacles: England

s.046

Amount of penalty under section 46A and recovery of penalty

s.046

Penalties under section 46A: procedure regarding notices of intent and final notices

s.046

Appeals against penalties under section 46A

s.046

Enforcement of household waste requirements: Scotland

s.046

Civil penalty charges under section 46ZA: prior notices of intent and final notices

s.046

Civil penalty charges under section 46ZA: procedure and amount

s.047

Fixed penalty notices for offences under sections 46 and 47

s.047

Amount of fixed penalty under section 47ZA

s.052

Payments for delivering waste pre-separated

s.059

Directions in relation to exercise of powers under section 59 , 59ZA, 59ZB or 59ZC

s.059

Section 59: supplementary power in relation to owner of land

s.059

Powers to require removal of waste unlawfully kept or disposed of: England and Wales

s.059

Section 59ZB: supplementary power in relation to owner of land

s.060

Waste reduction schemes

s.062

Lists of waste displaying hazardous properties

s.063

Power to take steps to minimise generation of controlled waste.

s.071

Information from authorities on unauthorised or harmful deposit, treatment or disposal etc. of waste: Scotland

s.073

Use of fixed penalty receipts: England

s.075

Modification of the Waste Framework Directive

Part IIA — Contaminated Land

s.078

Identification of contaminated land.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local authorities must inspect land and notify owners of contamination Local authority
s.078

Grant of, and compensation for, rights of entry etc.

Unlimited fine
  • Grant access to land for remediation and pay compensation Any Person
s.078

Offences of not complying with a remediation notice.

Unlimited fine
  • Fail to comply with a remediation notice Any Person
s.078

Land no longer considered to be contaminated

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local authority must issue a notice if land is no longer contaminated Local authority
s.078

Registers.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Authorities must maintain a public register of contaminated land records Statutory regulator
s.078

Registers: removal of information about land designated as special site

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local Authority must notify owners if land is no longer a 'special site' Local authority
s.078

Reports by the appropriate Agency on the state of contaminated land.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Environment Agency must report on state of contaminated land Statutory regulator
Browse 22 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.078

Preliminary.

s.078

Identification and designation of special sites.

s.078

Referral of special site decisions to the Secretary of State.

s.078

Duty of enforcing authority to require remediation of contaminated land etc.

s.078

Determination of the appropriate person to bear responsibility for remediation.

s.078

Restrictions and prohibitions on serving remediation notices.

s.078

Restrictions on liability relating to the pollution of controlled waters.

s.078

Liability in respect of contaminating substances which escape to other land.

s.078

Appeals against remediation notices.

s.078

Powers of the enforcing authority to carry out remediation.

s.078

Recovery of, and security for, the cost of remediation by the enforcing authority.

s.078

Special sites.

s.078

Exclusion from registers of information affecting national security.

s.078

Exclusion from registers of certain confidential information.

s.078

Effect of removal of information from register

s.078

Site-specific guidance by the appropriate Agency concerning contaminated land.

s.078

The appropriate Agency to have regard to guidance given by the Secretary of State.

s.078

Supplementary provisions.

s.078

Application to the Isles of Scilly.

s.078

Supplementary provisions with respect to guidance by the Secretary of State.

s.078

Interaction of this Part with other enactments.

s.078

This Part and radioactivity.

Part III — Statutory Nuisances and Clean Air

s.080

Abatement notice in respect of noise in street.

Fine up to £1,000
  • Tamper with a fixed noise abatement notice Any Person
Browse 7 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.080

Fixed penalty notice: supplemental

s.081

Expenses recoverable from owner to be a charge on premises.

s.081

Payment of expenses by instalments.

Part IV — Litter Etc

s.095

Public registers.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local authorities must maintain a public register of litter control orders Local authority
Browse 17 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.088

Littering from vehicles: civil penalty regime

s.088

Guidance on littering enforcement in England and Wales

s.088

Littering from a vehicle: Scottish civil penalty regime

s.088

Littering from a vehicle: consequences of civil penalty charge notice under section 88C

s.092

Litter clearing notices

s.092

Appeals against litter clearing notices

s.092

Failure to comply with litter clearing notice

s.094

Fixed penalty notices relating to sections 92C and 94

s.094

Free distribution of printed matter

s.097

Fixed penalty notices: supplementary

s.097

Exclusion of liability

Part V — Amendment of the Radioactive Substances Act 1960

Browse 6 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part VI — Genetically Modified Organisms

Browse 7 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part VII — Nature Conservation in Great Britain and Countryside Matters in Wales

Browse 3 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part VIII — Miscellaneous

Browse 5 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part IX — General

Browse 2 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.163

Application of Part VI: England and Wales

Schedules

s.sch002

Waste Disposal Authorities and Companies

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State must notify authorities before directing company formation Crown / Minister / Government department
s.sch002aa

Waste reduction schemes

Fine up to £1,000
  • Obstruct inspection of waste scheme accounts Any Person
s.sch003a

Free distribution of printed matter on designated land

Fine up to £2,500
  • Distribute free printed matter on designated land without consent Any Person
s.sch007

Preliminary

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Joint Nature Conservation Committee must submit annual activity reports Statutory regulator
Browse 13 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
s.sch002b

Categories of waste

Read the full Act on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

Local Authority

Primary

Local Authority (Environmental Health / Licensing / Planning)

Local councils enforce food safety (via Environmental Health Officers), issue alcohol licences, grant planning permission, and regulate certain business activities at local …

Environment Agency

Environmental protection in England. Regulates waste, emissions, water quality, flood risk, and environmental permits for industrial activities. Enforces environmental law and issues …

OEP

Office for Environmental Protection

Independent body established post-Brexit to scrutinise environmental law and investigate complaints about public authorities' failures to comply with environmental law in England …

DEFRA

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries, and rural communities. Sets environmental policy and works with agencies …

NRW

Natural Resources Wales

Principal environmental regulator for Wales. Combines functions of Environment Agency Wales, Countryside Council for Wales, and Forestry Commission Wales. Issues environmental permits, …

SEPA

Scottish Environment Protection Agency

Scotland's principal environmental regulator. Protects and improves Scotland's environment. Issues environmental permits for waste, emissions, water abstraction, and radioactive substances. Enforces environmental …

Connected legislation

15 statutory instruments

These instruments amend, apply, or refer to this Act. They may not all create direct business obligations.

Secondary legislation (15)

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Browse legislation

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Regulators

Learn more about the bodies that enforce this legislation.