Types of environmental authorisation
Your business may need authorisation to carry out certain activities that have the potential to cause harm to the environment.
The type of authorisation you need depends on the type of activity, scale of activity and the materials involved.
Industrial activities
If you operate an installation or mobile plant in any of the following sectors: energy, metals, minerals, chemicals, waste, timber and paper, agriculture and food, solvents, petrol vapour recovery and other specialised industries.
You may need a:
- Pollution prevention and control (PPC) permit in Northern Ireland
- An EASR permit or registration in Scotland
Waste management activities
If you carry out certain waste management activities or use waste mobile plant, you may need:
- a waste management licence or exemption in Northern Ireland
- an EASR authorisation in Scotland
Hazardous waste
if you move hazardous waste you will need a Hazardous waste notification, see:
Waste carrier or broker registration
If you transport waste or arrange for someone else's waste to be disposed of or recovered, see:
Radioactive substances
If you keep, use, store or dispose of radioactive substances, you may need:
- In Northern Ireland -
- Radioactive substances certificate of registration if you keep or use radioactive materials
- Radioactive waste authorisation if you store or dispose of radioactive waste
- In Scotland - an EASR authorisation which can be GBRs, a Notification, a Registration or a Permit for radioactive substances activities
Discharges
if you discharge sewage or polluting material into rivers, streams, lochs, loughs, ponds, canals, reservoirs, coastal water, estuaries or groundwater, you may need:
- a water discharge consent or groundwater authorisation in Northern Ireland
- an EASR authorisation in Scotland
if you discharge trade effluent into the public sewerage system, you will need a Trade effluent consent or agreement from your water or sewerage provider
Trade effluent - managing liquid wastes
Abstraction
If you take or hold water from surface water or groundwater, you may need:
- a water abstraction or water impounding authorisation in Northern Ireland
- an EASR authorisation in Scotland
Further information
Read our more detailed description of the environmental permits, licences and authorisations you may need: