Legislation

This section provides an overview of some of the common regulations that apply to small and medium sized businesses and what they mean. It should be used as a guide only and Official Regulatory Bodies should be contacted for legal advice. For further guidance on how to comply with environmental law, visit the Environment Agency Netregs website. Netregs is designed with small businesses in mind and contains both mandatory measures and good practice guides. The site has four main areas - sector guidelines, management guidelines, legislation and further resources. Also visit www.dti.gov.uk/sustainability

EU Directives - These are transferred into the national law of each European member state.

UK Acts of Parliament - These are laws generated by the UK, including laws derived from Directives.

UK Regulations - These are enabled by Acts of Parliament and made by Government Ministers under rights, powers and duties which stem from Acts.

The main authority responsible for enforcing environmental legislation is the Environment Agency (England and Wales). Other enforcing authorities include local authorities, sewerage undertakers (usually the same as water supply companies) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

• Agriculture Waste
• Batteries
• Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH)
• Duty of Care
• End of Life Vehicles (ELVs)
• Hazardous Waste
• Landfill Directive
• Ozone Depleting Substances
• Packaging (Essential Requirements)
• Pollution Prevention and Control
• Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste)
• RoHS - Restriction of Hazardous substances
• Solvents Emissions Directive
• Statutory Nuisance
• The Clean Air Act 1993
• The Water Act 2003
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Paint
• Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
• Waste Mangement Licensing Regulations
• Water Abstraction