Waste activities for chemical businesses in Scotland
This guidance is for waste activities at your chemical business site.
Waste activities
If you carry out waste disposal or recovery activities you should check whether your activity is regulated as an industrial activity under the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations (EASR).
Industrial activities are explained in our guidance on EASR industrial activity permits.
Does your chemical manufacturing business need an EASR Industrial Activity permit
If you make a product from waste by recovering a chemical substance in quantities of one tonne or more per calendar year, the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals) Regulations may apply to you.
If your recovered chemical substance is not exempt, you will need to register it.
If you are unsure if your recovered substance is covered by REACH, contact the UK REACH competent authority helpdesk.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE): REACH helpdesk
If your waste disposal or recovery activities are not listed activities then they may be a waste management activity.
Waste management activities include the:
- storage and treatment of waste
- incineration of waste
If you are unsure whether your activity is classed as a waste management activity, you should check with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
Contact your environmental regulator
What you must do
If you carry out waste management activities, you will need an EASR authorisation, from SEPA. If you have an authorisation you must comply with it's conditions.