What
is Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Legislation?
IPPC
IPPC was introduced in Scotland in 2001 as a result of new European
Environmental Legislation aimed at getting the "polluter to
pay". It is enforced in Scotland by SEPA (the Scottish Environmental
Protection Agency) and covers a surprising number of businesses.
SEPA
have wide ranging powers which allow them to halt operation at
any site operating outwith the law; alternatively they can
impose fines of up to £20,000. In extreme cases, the
legislation allows for imprisonment.
The
essence of the legislation is that all installations covered must
have a consent to operate after a certain date which is defined
for each industry sector. To obtain a consent, SEPA may apply conditions
to the granting of that permit. These will normally relate to process
upgrades required to improve environmental preformance.
Criteria
Criteria for inclusion are detailed in the legislation guides
(available from the right of this page) and are wide ranging
and stringent.
Scottish businesses are divided by industry sector, each with
its own compliance timetable. Many businesses who have not
previously been included in similar legislation are now covered.
If
any part of your operation falls within the requirements, you must
apply for a consent to operate. This applies to
SME companies
as well as multinationals which have an operating site
in Scotland.
Experience
to date suggests that producing an application is more time consuming
and costly than most people expect.
Typically,
9
months would be required and total costs have ranged from £10,000
to £130,000 - depending on the complexity of the
operation and the materials involved.
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