Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC)
Background
The industrial activities covered by the PPC element of the Environmental Permitting Regulations are very wide-ranging and cover installations in the following industrial sectors:
See Part 2, Schedule 1 to the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007on the OPSI website for further details.
Energy Industries:
- Combustion Activities
- Gasification, Liquefaction and Refining Activities
Production and Processing of Metals:
- Ferrous Metals
- Non-Ferrous Metals
- Surface Treating Metals and Plastic Materials
Mineral Industries:
- Production of Cement and Lime
- Activities Involving Asbestos
- Manufacturing Glass and Glass Fibre
- Production of Other Mineral Fibres
- Other Mineral Activities
- Ceramic Production
The Chemical Industry:
- Organic Chemicals
- Inorganic Chemicals
- Chemical Fertiliser Production
- Plant Health Products and Biocides
- Pharmaceutical Production
- Explosives Production
- Manufacturing Activities Involving Carbon Disulphide or Ammonia
- Storage of Chemicals in Bulk
Waste Management:
- Disposal of Waste by Incineration
- Disposal of Waste by Landfill
- Disposal of Waste other than by Incineration or Landfill
- Recovery of Waste
- Production of Fuel from Waste
Other Activities:
- Paper, Pulp and Board Manufacturing Activities
- Carbon Activities
- Tar and Bitumen Activities
- Coating Activities, Printing and Textile Treatments
- The Manufacture of Dyestuffs, Printing Ink and Coating Materials
- Timber Activities
- Activities Involving Rubber
- The Treatment of Animal and Vegetable Matter and Food Industries
- Intensive Farming
SED (Solvent Emission Directive) Activities:
Detailed background
For a more detailed background and description of Part A(1), Part A(2) and Part B regulations please see:
Best Available Techniques ("BAT")
Operators of these industrial activities must use Best Available Techniques to control pollution from their installations.
The aim of BAT is to prevent, and where that is not practicable, to reduce to acceptable levels, pollution to air, land and water from industrial activities. BAT also implements integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC) and several other directives and aims to balance the cost to the operator against benefits to the environment.
The system of Environmental Permitting incorporates that of Pollution Prevention and Control and took effect from 6 April 2008. While the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations are superseded by the new EPR regime, essentially the same PPC controls remain in place, and Defra will continue to refer to PPC and IPPC. As with the PPC Regulations, the Environmental Permitting regime implements several European Directives, including Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC), the Waste Incineration Directive (WID), the Large Combustion Plants Directive (LCPD), Solvent Emissions Directive (SED), and Petrol Vapour Recovery (PVRI).
Reports
IPPC Implementation Study
Defra commissioned the following report to inform it on the implementation of IPPC across the United Kingdom. Also available here is a document of responses to the conclusions of the report by the relevant competent authorities.
- Assessment of the Implementation of the IPPC Directive in the UK - Final Report, January 2008 (PDF 2,3 MB)
- Competent authorities' response (PDF 70 KB)
The costs and benefits of IPPC
An early analysis of the costs and benefits of the implementation of the IPPC Directive in the UK has been commissioned by Defra, the Department for Trade and Industry, the Scottish Executive, and the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland. The report's conclusions provide an initial snap shot of some of the successes and challenges of implementing the IPPC Directive in the period 2000 to 2005. A further, more comprehensive assessment of the implementation of the IPPC Directive within the UK is intended in 2009, which will enable the collection of data on the first full year of the Directive's implementation.
- Mid-term review of the UK's implementation of the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations (PDF 815 KB)
Please contact control.pollution@defra.gsi.gov.uk if you would like to see the annexes to the report.
Page last modified: 28 May 2008