Trade effluent legislation

• Waste management licensing

• Environment Act 1995

  Establishes the Environment Agency and SEPA as the regulatory bodies for contaminated land, control of pollution, conservation or enhancement of the environment and fisheries.

• Water Act 2003

  Sets out the framework for abstraction licensing, regulates impoundments, increases competition in water supply and includes measures for drought management and flood defence work in England and Wales.

• Trade Effluent (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulations 1989 SI 1156

  Specifies which categories of trade effluent have their discharge to public sewers controlled. Also requires sewerage undertakers to notify Environment Agency if they intend to vary existing trade effluent consents.

• Trade Effluent (Prescribed Processes and Substances) (Amendment) Regulations 1990 SI 1629

  Amends 1989/1156 to require that the Environment Agency is notified of other types of sewerage agreements.

• Water Industry Act 1991

  Consolidates previous legislation on water supply and sewerage services (including trade effluent consents) and opens up the market to allow private sector companies to compete to be appointed as water and sewerage undertakers.

• Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 SI 662 (including updates)

  Revokes and replaces the Water Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 and makes provision for discharge consents. Enables the DoE to set water quality objectives and prevent pollution from anti-pollution works.

• Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 SI 3336 (including updates)

  Establishes government-owned companies' obligations for water supply, drinking water quality, trade effluent and sewage disposal, water and sewerage charges and customer service.

• Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003

  Sets out the duties and powers of public authorities to protect the water environment and to regulate potential polluting activities, and sets up river basin management districts.

• Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2005 SSI 348

  Bans controlled activities like operating certain types of weirs, abstracting and impounding water, and dredging, without authorisation and following general binding rules.

• What is trade effluent?

• Do you need consent to discharge trade effluent?

• Trade effluent consents - what you must do

• What if you can't discharge to the foul sewer?

• How to avoid unauthorised discharges

• Trade effluent further information

• Trade effluent legislation