Topic

Environment & Sustainability

Environmental compliance, waste management, emissions, and sustainability reporting

Waste Management Compliance

Waste carriers and hazardous waste: SEPA and NIEA rules for Scotland and Northern Ireland

What waste collectors, remediation contractors, builders and motor trade businesses must do to register as waste carriers, move hazardous waste and sort business waste in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Scotland has its own registration regime under the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018, its own special waste system and its own recycling duties. Northern Ireland has a separate register run by NIEA and its own hazardous waste rules.

Business waste management

Your legal duty of care for waste, waste transfer notes, and avoiding fly-tipping liability.

Registering as a waste carrier

How to register as a waste carrier, broker or dealer. Covers upper tier and lower tier registration, fees, exemptions, and renewal requirements for businesses that transport waste.

Dispose of hazardous waste

How to classify, store, and dispose of hazardous waste from your business premises in compliance with the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005. Covers consignment notes, using authorised facilities, and the stricter record-keeping requirements that apply to hazardous waste.

Simpler Recycling for businesses in England

New requirements for businesses in England to separate recyclable waste from March 2025. Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have separate recycling regulations.

Workplace recycling requirements in Wales

Mandatory workplace waste separation requirements in Wales under the Workplace Recycling Regulations, in force from 6 April 2024. Covers the six waste streams you must separate, three bans on waste disposal, penalties for non-compliance, and how to set up compliant waste collection. These requirements are significantly stricter than in England.

Food waste management

Comply with food waste segregation and disposal duties.

Producer Responsibility

Meet your environmental compliance obligations under the Environment Act 2021

Understand which provisions of the Environment Act 2021 apply to your business and how to comply. Covers biodiversity net gain, extended producer responsibility for packaging, deposit return schemes, and forest risk commodities.

Packaging waste producer responsibilities

Who must comply with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging, how to register and report data, and what disposal fees and recycling obligations apply. Covers small and large producer thresholds, compliance schemes, PRNs and PERNs, and how EPR interacts with Plastic Packaging Tax.

Producer responsibility for electronics manufacturers: WEEE and batteries

A guide for makers, importers and brand-owners of electrical and electronic equipment and batteries. It explains the ongoing producer-responsibility duties — working out whether you count as a producer, joining a compliance scheme, registering, reporting what you place on the market, financing collection and recycling, and applying the crossed-out wheeled-bin marking — as distinct from one-off product conformity.

Packaging Producer Responsibility

Register for EPR, report packaging data, and meet recycling obligations through PRN/PERN purchases or compliance schemes.

Environmental Permits

Run a hand car wash or mobile valeting business

Usually yes, in parts. England has no car wash licence, but a fixed site may need planning permission if opening the car wash involves development or a material change of use, you need your water company's consent before wash water reaches a sewer, and pay and right to work checks for everyone who works for you.

Environmental compliance for construction sites

Your environmental obligations for construction sites including site waste management, environmental permits, dust control, and noise management.

Comply with farming environmental regulations

How to comply with environmental regulations for fertiliser storage and application, pesticide use, the baseline rules that replaced cross-compliance, and nutrient management planning. Covers Nitrate Vulnerable Zones, BASIS certification, hedgerow management rules, and RB209 nutrient planning.

Slurry and silage storage compliance (SSAFO)

How to comply with SSAFO regulations for storing silage, slurry, and agricultural fuel oil on farms. Covers construction standards, storage capacity requirements, notification procedures, exemptions for pre-1991 structures, and Environment Agency enforcement. Includes guidance for farms in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones where stricter storage requirements apply.

Comply with Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) regulations

How to comply with NVZ regulations if your land is in a designated Nitrate Vulnerable Zone. Covers nitrogen application limits, closed spreading periods, storage requirements, record-keeping obligations, grassland derogation, and penalties for non-compliance. Includes guidance for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland where different rules apply.

Comply with Farming Rules for Water

How to comply with the 8 Farming Rules for Water that apply to all farmers in England. Covers planning fertiliser applications, soil testing requirements, buffer zones near water, prohibited spreading conditions, manure storage, livestock management, soil erosion prevention, and enforcement by the Environment Agency.

Flood risk assessment and SuDS compliance

How to assess flood risk for development sites and comply with Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) requirements. Covers Flood Risk Assessments, Sequential and Exception Tests, and the major regulatory divergence between England and Wales on mandatory SuDS.

Check if you need an environmental permit

Determine whether your business activity requires an environmental permit from the Environment Agency or local council. Covers regulated activities, exemptions, permit types, and costs.

Control and monitor air emissions

How to comply with air emissions permit conditions for Part A and Part B regulated activities. Covers the difference between Environment Agency and local authority regulation, emission limits, MCERTS monitoring, stack testing, abatement equipment, and reporting requirements.

Understanding contaminated land law for businesses

An overview of contaminated land law in the UK and how it affects businesses. Explains the Part 2A regime under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the planning system approach to contamination, the Environmental Damage Regulations 2015, and how the polluter-pays principle determines who is liable for remediation costs.

Get a water discharge permit

How to get an environmental permit for discharging liquid effluent or waste water to surface water or groundwater. Covers standard rules and bespoke permits, groundwater protection, monitoring requirements, and the difference between environmental permits and trade effluent consent.

Due diligence when buying potentially contaminated land

How to carry out environmental due diligence before purchasing land that may be contaminated. Covers the Part IIA liability regime, Phase 1 desk studies, Phase 2 ground investigations, environmental insurance, and contract protections to manage your exposure.

Apply for an environmental permit

How to prepare and submit an environmental permit application to the Environment Agency. Covers documentation requirements, the application process, permit conditions, and ongoing compliance including inspections.

Prevent pollution from your business

How to identify and manage pollution risks from your business premises. Covers containment principles, drainage awareness, spill prevention, and creating a pollution incident response plan.

Report an environmental incident

What to do when a pollution incident occurs at or near your business. Covers when and how to report to the Environment Agency or devolved regulators, what information to provide, and the consequences of not reporting.

Environmental permits in Northern Ireland: applying to NIEA

How to apply for environmental permits from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). Covers the NI permitting system for waste management, water discharge, industrial emissions, and water abstraction, which operates under separate legislation from England, Wales, and Scotland.

Protect your business premises from flooding

How to assess flood risk to your business premises and implement practical protection measures. Covers checking your flood zone, resistance and resilience measures, creating a flood plan, securing commercial flood insurance, and available grant funding for property flood resilience.

Comply with contaminated land remediation requirements

What to do when land you own or occupy is identified as contaminated under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Covers the Part 2A regime, remediation notices, voluntary remediation, working with regulators, and the penalties for non-compliance.

Oil storage regulations

What you must do if your business stores oil or fuel. Covers who the regulations apply to, container and bunding requirements, mobile bowser rules, fill point specifications, and inspection routines.

Trade effluent consent for discharging to sewers

How to get consent from your water company to discharge trade effluent into public sewers. Covers what counts as trade effluent, when consent is needed, how to apply, prohibited substances, consent conditions, charges, and enforcement under the Water Industry Act 1991.

Apply for a water abstraction licence

How to apply for a licence to abstract water from rivers, streams, boreholes, or other sources. Covers the 20 cubic metres per day threshold, licence types, pre-application enquiries, Environmental Impact Assessment, annual charges, and devolved nation requirements.

Environmental Permits for Manufacturing

Understand when you need an environmental permit and how to apply for one.

Environmental Permit - Part A(1) Installation

Large combustion plant (50MW thermal input and above) and other major industrial installations require a Part A(1) environmental permit.

Apply for a flood risk activity permit

How to apply for a flood risk activity permit (FRAP) from the Environment Agency for work on or near main rivers, flood defences, and sea defences. Covers exemptions, standard rules permits, and bespoke permits under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016.

Coastal erosion: implications for your business

How coastal erosion risk affects business premises, planning restrictions in Coastal Change Management Areas, Shoreline Management Plan policies, and options for coastal businesses including adaptation, rollback, and relocation.

Environmental Permit - Medium Combustion Plant

Medium combustion plant (MCP) with thermal input between 1MW and 50MW require an environmental permit from the Environment Agency.

Contaminated land compliance checklist

A yes/no checklist for verifying contaminated land compliance, covering council records checks, environmental investigations, planning conditions, remediation requirements, and ongoing monitoring obligations.

Store oil on your premises in Scotland: SEPA general binding rules 26 to 28

What a Scottish business that stores oil, including a wholesaler or oil distribution depot, must do under SEPA's general binding rules 26 to 28. The Oil Storage Regulations 2006 that many older checklists cite were revoked in 2018. The rules now sit in the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018. There is no application and no fee, but breaching the rules is a criminal offence.

Water management and drought resilience for businesses

How drought conditions affect businesses, including water company restrictions, temporary use bans, drought orders, abstraction licence restrictions, and practical steps to build water resilience into your operations.

Environmental Taxes

UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) compliance

Complete guide to UK ETS obligations for installations, aviation operators, and maritime operators. Covers registration thresholds, annual reporting deadlines, verification requirements, allowance surrender, and penalties.

Scottish Landfill Tax and Landfill Disposals Tax (Wales): Revenue Scotland and WRA rules

What landfill site operators must do to account for landfill tax in Scotland and Wales. Scotland has Scottish Landfill Tax, collected by Revenue Scotland. Wales has Landfill Disposals Tax, collected by the Welsh Revenue Authority. The 2026 to 2027 standard and lower rates are the same in both nations, but registration, deadlines and the treatment of unauthorised disposals are not.

Carbon & Climate Reporting

SECR and ESOS - energy and carbon reporting

Mandatory energy and emissions reporting requirements for large companies and LLPs.

Biodiversity & Nature

Understanding nature conservation law on farmland in England

How nature conservation law works on English farmland: who regulates what, what a Site of Special Scientific Interest designation means for the way you farm, which species are protected and when you need a licence from Natural England, the two separate hedgerow regimes, invasive species, and where biodiversity net gain touches a farm business.

Manage access land and SSSIs on your property

Understand your obligations as a landowner of open access land or Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Covers right to roam, reduced liability, temporary closures, SSSI consent requirements, and penalties for non-compliance.

Commission protected species surveys for your site

How to commission ecological surveys for development sites that may support protected species. Covers when surveys are needed, types of survey for bats, great crested newts, badgers, and nesting birds, seasonal survey windows, choosing a qualified ecologist, and interpreting survey results to determine whether you need a wildlife licence.

Understanding nature conservation law in Scotland

How Scotland's nature conservation framework works, why it differs from England and Wales, and what it means for businesses operating in Scotland. Covers the role of NatureScot, the hierarchy of protected areas, species protection, the biodiversity duty, and how conservation requirements interact with the planning system.

Remove or manage hedgerows lawfully

How to remove a hedgerow lawfully under the Hedgerows Regulations 1997 and manage agricultural hedgerows under the Management of Hedgerows (England) Regulations 2024. Covers when a hedgerow removal notice is required, 'important hedgerow' criteria, the 42-day application process, local planning authority powers, exemptions for agriculture and planning permission, buffer strips and the cutting ban, penalties for unlawful removal, and interaction with ancient woodland protections.

Comply with biodiversity net gain for development in England

If you are developing land in England, you must achieve at least 10% biodiversity net gain (BNG) as a condition of planning permission. This guide explains when BNG applies, how to calculate it, how to deliver it, and what your long-term management obligations are.

Get a wildlife licence for your development project

How to obtain wildlife licences from Natural England before development that affects protected species. Covers European Protected Species mitigation licences, bat surveys, badger sett closures, the new charging regime from April 2025, and devolved licensing differences in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Manage invasive non-native species on your land

Legal obligations for managing invasive non-native species on business premises and development sites. Covers Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed, Himalayan balsam, identification, treatment options, controlled waste disposal, and liability implications for property transactions.

Run a shooting, game or wildlife management business

Shooting and game businesses are regulated through firearms certificates from the police, statutory close seasons for game birds and deer, and wildlife law that controls what may be killed or taken and how. Since 2007 no game licence or game dealer licence is needed in England and Wales, but releasing gamebirds on or near protected sites now needs a licence, and deer management runs on different rules in Scotland.

Wildlife management and muirburn licensing in Scotland

How the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 changes wildlife management practices in Scotland. Covers the new muirburn licensing regime, trap and snare reforms, glue trap ban, and general licences for bird control.

Deer management obligations in Scotland

Guide to deer management obligations in Scotland under the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996, covering female deer close seasons (male close seasons were abolished in October 2023), authorisations for out-of-season and night shooting, deer management plans, crop damage provisions, and NatureScot control schemes.

Private water supplies for holiday lets, B&Bs and rural hospitality in Scotland and Wales

What the owner of a holiday let, B&B, hotel, pub, campsite or food business must do when guests drink water from a spring, well, borehole or burn in Scotland or Wales. Both nations treat any private supply used for a commercial activity as regulated, however small, and both make the council responsible for the risk assessment and sampling, but the duties that fall on you, the fee rules and the notice and appeal routes differ.

Understanding UK wildlife law for businesses

An overview of how UK wildlife protection law affects businesses, from construction and agriculture to events and tourism. Covers the main Acts, who enforces them, and common scenarios where businesses need to comply.

Apply for a species licence from NatureScot

How to apply for a NatureScot species licence when your business activities could affect protected species in Scotland. Covers European Protected Species licences, the three derogation tests, application process, and what happens if you proceed without a licence.

Trees and hedgerows: quick reference for businesses

Quick reference covering felling licence thresholds, Tree Preservation Order penalties, hedgerow notification periods, conservation area rules, restocking obligations, and key contact points for businesses managing trees and hedgerows.

Protected species offences and penalties in Scotland

Quick reference for criminal offences and penalties relating to protected species in Scotland. Covers European Protected Species, Wildlife and Countryside Act offences, raptor persecution, beaver protection, and vicarious liability.

Water abstraction licences and drinking water quality in Northern Ireland: NIEA and DWI

How water is regulated in Northern Ireland for two different kinds of business: a mill or other user that takes water from a river, lough or borehole and needs an abstraction and impoundment licence from NIEA, and a water undertaker that supplies drinking water and must meet the 2017 Water Quality Regulations enforced by the Drinking Water Inspectorate.

Invasive species obligations in Scotland

Your legal obligations regarding invasive non-native species in Scotland. Covers criminal offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Schedule 9 species, Japanese knotweed management, and NatureScot's species control orders.

Work with Tree Preservation Orders

How to identify Tree Preservation Orders on your site, apply for consent to carry out works to protected trees, and comply with conservation area tree notification rules. Covers penalties for contravention and protections for ancient woodland.

Ecology survey requirements for construction in Scotland

When you need ecological surveys for construction and development projects in Scotland, what types of survey are required, seasonal timing constraints, and how survey results feed into NatureScot licensing and the planning process.

Apply for a tree felling licence

How to apply for a tree felling licence from the Forestry Commission under the Forestry Act 1967. Covers when a licence is required, exemptions, the application process, restocking conditions, and devolved arrangements for Wales and Scotland.

Guides

Meet packaging producer responsibility and Plastic Packaging Tax

If you make plastic packaging, you have reporting and tax duties on top of the product rules. This guide takes you through extended producer responsibility for packaging (EPR) — collecting and reporting packaging data and, for larger producers, paying disposal fees — and the Plastic Packaging Tax, which applies once you manufacture 10 or more tonnes of finished plastic packaging in a 12-month period.

Install renewable energy on your farm

How to get planning permission and financial support for solar panels, wind turbines, and other renewable energy on agricultural land. Covers permitted development limits, agricultural land classification, and the Smart Export Guarantee.