TABLE OF CONTENTS The Environmental Protection Act 1990 is the centrepiece of current UK legislation on environmental protection. It is divided into nine parts, corresponding to the wide range of subjects dealt with by the Act.
Integrated pollution control (IPC) is a system established by Part 1 of the Act. Part 1 introduces Part A Processes, which are the most potentially polluting or technologically complex processes. In England and Wales this is enforced by the Environment Agency. In Scotland, there is a parallel system enforced by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Less polluting industry may be classified as Part B, with only emissions released to air being subject to regulatory control. For such processes local authorities are the enforcing body and the system is known as Local Air Pollution Control (LAPC).
Both IPC and LAPC will eventually be replaced by a new Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) regime that will implement the requirements of the EC Directive 96/61 on integrated pollution prevention and control. This will be phased in before 2007.
The Act defines the following:
Pollutants as:
solid wastes discharging onto land
liquid wastes discharging onto land or into water
discharges into the atmosphere
noise in the community.
Controlled waste as:
waste from households
waste from industry
commercial waste.
Special waste as:
controlled waste that is so hazardous that it can only be disposed of using special procedures. Examples would be where there is a high risk to life or liquids with...
