This act makes provision for the management of pollution from industrial processes. It deals with controlled wastes and is the successor to the Control of Pollution Act 1974. As a business, you have a duty to ensure that any waste your company produces is handled safely and within the law.
The act defines all aspects of waste management and places a duty on local authorities to collect waste. This is your ‘duty of care’ and applies to anyone who produces, imports, transports, stores, treats or disposes of controlled waste from businesses or industries. This act covers a wide area and is partly consolidatory, drawing together legislation on environmentally related topics, and it sets up a system of integrated pollution control. It creates several new regulatory bodies whose powers, along with those of existing bodies, were generally strengthened. Penalties can include heavy fines and long terms of imprisonment.
The Act is divided into nine parts, which are described below:
| Pollution Control | Part 2 Waste on Land Part 2a Contaminated Land | Statutory nuisance and clean air |
| Litter | Radiation | Genetically modified organisms |
| Nature Conservation | Miscellaneous provisions | General requirements |
