Industrial Pollution
In recent decades, there has been a fundamental change in the Scottish industrial landscape. Traditional heavy industries have been gradually replaced by an industrial base comprising more modern industrial processes. Prior to the Environmental Protection Act 1990, emissions from industrial processes were dealt with separately, and by a wide range of different agencies. The 1990 Act introduced the system of Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) which takes a holistic environmental approach to regulating major industrial processes: emissions to all environmental media (air, land and water) plus a range of other environmental effects, must be considered as a whole in order to minimise their environmental impact. The Act also introduced Local Air Pollution Control (LAPC) for less polluting processes where emissions to air are regulated. The Environment Act 1995 created a single agency, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency ( SEPA), to protect and improve Scotland's environment. SEPA has responsibility for regulating IPC and LAPC in Scotland.
A major advance in pollution control from industrial processes was made by the introduction of the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000, commonly referred to as the PPC Regulations. PPC controls bring a more consistent and integrated approach to environmental protection and ensure activities that may have a significant impact on the environment are strictly regulated. Industrial sectors are being phased into the new PPC regime between 2001 and 2007, after which IPC and LAPC controls will be superseded.
The PPC Regulations cover the following activities:
- Energy industries, such as power stations and refineries
- Production and processing of metals
- Mineral industries, including glass manufacture and cement production
- Chemical industries, including pharmaceutical production
- Waste management, including incineration and landfills
- Other activities, including paper manufacturing, textiles, timber, food and drink, and pig and poultry farming.
SEPA regulates industrial facilities falling within the scope of PPC. Operators require to demonstrate to SEPA that they will adhere to the general principles of PPC which include:
- Using Best Available Techniques, which balance the benefits to the environment against the costs to the operator, to prevent or minimise pollution
- Minimising waste produced by the process, and recycling waste where possible
- Reducing the amount of energy used
- Preventing accidents
- Restoring the site once operations cease
- Minimising heat and noise emissions.
SEPA has published an online pollutant release inventory of industrial plants across Scotland. The inventory record the type of industrial process and activities being carried out at the site and reported emission levels.