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Technical guidance for regulated industry sectors: environmental permitting

Environmental permitting technical guidance for your activity.

From:
Environment Agency
Published
7 April 2014
Last updated
14 October 2024 — See all updates

Changes to EPR guidance

The Environment Agency is reviewing and updating its EPR guidance. Some of the generic guidance documents referred to in these technical guides have been withdrawn and replaced with new versions.

These sector technical guides are still current and how the Environment Agency regulates you and your legal requirements has not changed.

Changes to generic guidance documents are:

You need to read these generic guides in addition to your sector technical guidance.

Combustion activities

See the BREF technical guidance for large combustion plants.

Food and drink

See the BREF technical guidance for the food, drink and milk industries.

Paper, pulp and cardboard manufacturing

See the BREF technical guidance for paper, pulp and cardboard manufacturing.

Chemicals

Emerging techniques for energy and net zero

Gasification, liquefaction and refining industry

Intensive farming

Landfill

Landspreading permits

Metals production and processing

Mining

Printing and textiles – coating activities

Slaughterhouses – poultry and red meat abattoirs

Waste incineration

Waste treatment and transfer – biological waste

We have published new guidance that explains the standards (appropriate measures) that are relevant to permitted waste management facilities that handle organic waste, also known as biowaste. Facilities that operate under a relevant waste exemption, and crop fed anaerobic digestion sites, can also use this guidance.

This guidance applies to aerobic and anaerobic processes including:

  • composting in open-air and closed (in vessel) systems aerobic processing of organic fractions by mechanical and biological treatment (MBT) and mechanical heat treatment (MHT)
  • thermophilic aerobic digestion (TAD)
  • anaerobic digestion (AD) including the combustion or upgrading of the resulting biogas and treating the digestate (anaerobic treatment can include wet, dry and dry-batch digestion)
  • aerated lagoons and activated sludge (as a waste water treatment)
  • collecting and storing methane from lagoons and tanks and upgrading to biomethane
  • treating sewage sludge using any of these biological processes
  • storing feedstock, compost and digestate
  • receiving wastes destined for biological treatment

Waste treatment and transfer – chemical waste

We have published new guidance that applies to:

  • new chemical waste facilities applying for permits from 18 November 2020
  • existing facilities once their permits have been varied

Chemical waste includes:

  • hazardous chemical wastes (for example sulphuric acid or engine oil)
  • wastes that contain, or are contaminated with, hazardous chemicals (for example contaminated soils)
  • non-hazardous chemical wastes (for example non-hazardous sludges from physico-chemical treatment) that are treated chemically

Chemical waste sites that were permitted before 18 November 2020 need to continue to use the Sector Guidance Note S5.06: recovery and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste until their permits are varied.

Waste treatment and transfer – healthcare waste

We have published new guidance that applies to:

  • new healthcare waste facilities applying for permits from 13 July 2020
  • existing facilities once their permits have been varied

Healthcare waste facilities that were permitted before 13 July 2020 should continue to use the Clinical waste: additional guidance (How to comply with your permit EPR 5.07) until their permits are varied.

Waste treatment and transfer – non-hazardous and inert waste

We have published new guidance that applies to new and existing non-hazardous and inert waste facilities applying for permits from 12 July 2021.

Best available technique associated emissions levels (BAT AELs) are not included in our appropriate measures guidance. Installation operators in particular should refer to the relevant BAT AELs in the BAT conclusions document.

Waste treatment and transfer – treating metal waste in shredders

We have published new guidance that applies to:

  • new facilities treating metal waste in shredders applying for permits from 20 October 2021
  • existing facilities once their permits have been varied

Waste treatment and transfer – waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)

This guidance applies to:

  • new WEEE facilities applying for permits from 13 July 2022
  • existing facilities once their permits have been varied (changed)

The guidance explains the standards (appropriate measures) that are relevant to regulated facilities with an environmental permit to treat or transfer all types of WEEE

The guidance also applies to sites that treat or transfer materials derived from the processing of WEEE that require further treatment to comply with the WEEE Directive. For example, the sorting and segregation of WEEE plastic containing brominated flame retardants.

There’s additional guidance on the appropriate measures for facilities that treat or transfer waste temperature exchange equipment (WTEE). If your facility is permitted to treat or transfer WTEE then you must comply with both the WEEE guidance and the WTEE guidance.

Updates to this page

Published 7 April 2014
Last updated 14 October 2024 + show all updates

  1. Added a link to 'Hydrogen combustion: comply with emission limit values' in the 'Emerging techniques for energy and net zero' section.

  2. Added a link to new guidance 'Hydrogen production by electrolysis of water: emerging techniques'.

  3. Added technical guidance for Landspreading waste permits.

  4. Added new guidance 'Emerging techniques for hydrogen production with carbon capture'.

  5. Added the guidance Biological waste treatment: appropriate measures for permitted facilities.

  6. Clarified that the WEEE and WTEE appropriate measures guides apply to: new WEEE facilities applying for permits from 13 July 2022, existing facilities once their permits have been varied (changed).

  7. Added links to 'Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE): appropriate measures for permitted facilities' and 'Waste temperature exchange equipment: appropriate measures for permitted facilities'.

  8. Added the new guidance document 'Treating metal waste in shredders: appropriate measures for permitted facilities'.

  9. Added a link to the new guidance document 'Non-hazardous and inert waste: appropriate measures for permitted facilities'.

  10. Added a 'carbon capture' group and added a link to the new 'Post-combustion carbon dioxide capture: best available techniques (BAT)' guidance.

  11. We have updated the collection to include a link to the new guidance 'Chemical waste: appropriate measures for permitted facilities'.

  12. Updated to include the new guidance Healthcare waste: appropriate measures for permitted facilities.

  13. We have withdrawn the food and drink sector and dairy and milk processing sector technical guidance notes and linked to the replacement BREF technical guidance for the food, drink and milk industries.

  14. We have withdrawn the technical guidance note for combustion activities. We have added a link to the BREF technical guidance for large combustion plant.

  15. Paper, pulp and cardboard manufacturing: link provided to BREF and BAT conclusion documents.

  16. First published.

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