Chemical Waste Management
The chemical sector produces a range of products including fertilisers, pesticides, plastics, adhesives, paints, soaps, detergents, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
The environmental consequences of chemical industry activity include high use of energy and water, emissions to air and water, waste generation from manufacturing, and other effects such as noise, vibration and odour. All these can have an impact on the quality of people’s lives.
Reductions in CO2 emissions from combustion plants on many large-scale chemical installations are achieved through climate change agreements (CCAs).
Regulation
The majority of chemical operations will require a bespoke environmental permit:
How the chemical sector’s environmental impacts are monitored
We carry out permit reviews measuring against the EU best available techniques reference documents (BREFs).
We help reduce emissions of priority pollutants and hazardous substances and regulate installations in Operational Risk Appraisal (OPRA) bands D, E and F to bring them to at least band C performance.
We require evidence that processes minimise the need for hazardous waste disposal.
The sector is required to measure and report use of natural resources and resource efficiency through environmental management systems (EMS).
We liaise with Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) inspectors.
We encourage businesses to take full responsibility for their environmental impact and report on them openly.