About SEPA: Fast Facts

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About SEPA Fast Facts

• SEPA the main Environmental Regulator in
  Scotland
• Established by the Environment Act 1995
• SEPA regulates
• Activities that may pollute water
• Activities that might pollute air
• Storage, transport disposal of waste
• Keeping disposal of radioactive materials
• Also
• Provide guidance and advice to businesses
• Flood Warning
• National Waste Strategy

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6 High Level Outcomes

• Minimised, recovered and well-managed waste
• Good water environments
• Good air quality
• Good land quality
• A respected environment protected, informed and
  engaged communities
• Economic wellbeing.
• The breadth of our responsibilities and our
  outcomes is reflected in the organisations
  1,300 staff across our 22 local offices.

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Aims Objectives

• Main Aims
• Effective regulator
• Respected authority on the environment
• Broad Objectives
• Achieve good water, air land quality
• Help minimise, recover manage waste
• Protect, inform engage communities
• Promote economic well-being

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Regulation Advisory work

• Regulatory role
• Legislation Regulation
• Permissions Licenses
• Enforcement Role
• Powers to Enforce
• and prosecute
• Advisory Role
• Carrot rather than
• stick
• PREFFERED
• APPROACH

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Waste Minimisation

• Cost of things you throw away
• For example
• cost of raw materials in skip
• cost of labour in scrapped product
• cost of consumables in all products
• cost of wasted energy

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Business advice work

• Complements regulatory work
• Waste Minimisation programme
• Good practice examples

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Drivers to waste reduction
Financial Benefits
Competitors

Legislation
Shareholders
DRIVERS FOR IMPROVEMENT
Pressure Groups
Financial Institutions
Government
Suppliers
Customers
Employees
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Waste - Scotland

• Weight (tonnes) of biodegradable waste going to
  landfill

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What is Waste Minimisation?

• Waste minimisation is
• the prevention or reduction of raw materials,
  water or energy consumption at source
• Prevention (Highest priority)
• Reduction
• Reuse
• Recycling
• Recovery
• Disposal (Lowest priority)

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Obvious wastes and costs

• Directly charged costs
• Skip removal
• Effluent charges
• Energy costs

. Can be easily identified