What are solvents?
Organic solvents are volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They are used for a variety of purposes including:
- dissolving materials
- cleaning
- coating and printing
- manufacturing products such as paints, adhesives and inks.
What you must do
If you use organic solvents, you may require an environmental permit (England and Wales) or a pollution prevention and control (PPC) permit (Northern Ireland and Scotland) from your environmental regulator or local council. If you have a permit you must comply with its conditions, which may require you to reduce or control your solvent emissions. The detailed NetRegs guidance on solvent emissions contains further information on who must operate with a permit and the main requirements.
Solvent emissions
If you manufacture or use paints, varnishes or vehicle cleaning products you must comply with controls on the amount of solvents that these products can contain.
You must not allow solvents to enter surface water drains, watercourses or groundwater. This will cause pollution and could lead to you being prosecuted.
Water pollution
If you intend to discharge any solvent to the foul sewer, check whether your local water and sewerage company or authority will authorise this.
Trade effluent - discharges to sewers