What You Should Know About Environmental Permits

Your business may be undertaking activities that spearhead these problems:

• Pollution of the air, land and water
• Drainage of land

If your business processes involve activities that cause harm to the environment or human health, you will most likely require an environmental permit

Businesses in industries such as food production produce odours, whereas companies in chemical manufacturing produce harmful fumes. Both of them can be heavy on air pollution.

In food processing, for example, strong unpleasant odours are given off, and chemical production involves the use of toxic chemicals, both of which will eventually escape into the atmosphere.

It is against the law to undertake processes without a permit when you are obliged to.

However, you may not be familiar with environmental permits. We have written this article to inform you of everything you need to know about environmental permits.

In this article, we will break down the answers to these three questions:

1. What is an environmental permit?

1. What purpose do environmental permits serve?

1. How can Parsons help your business clamp down on pollution?

What is an environmental permit?

Environmental permits enable you to carry out activities which cause damage to the environment or human health. However, you are only allowed to carry out these activities if you are actively minimising the damages.

Under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016, you must carry an environmental permit to undertake a range of specified activities.

But, in some activities, if the necessary planning permission is not in place, you may not be eligible for a permit.

Additionally, whether you need to apply for planning permission from your local authority or the Environment Agency depends on the activity you are undertaking.

Your regulator will typically require up to 13 weeks to assess your application. Furthermore, they will charge you for the assessment of your application and the ongoing regulation of your permit.

‘Does my business require an environmental permit or not?‘

Your business will require an environmental permit if you:

• Operate an industrial establishment, a company that undertakes processes that emit potentially harmful substances – fuel delivery points, food factories, manufacturers and metal cleaning facilities, etc.

• Manage a waste incineration plant, where waste is burnt.

• Operate a mobile plant that you can move via the use of controls

• Conduct activities that involve the emission of organic solvents.

Consequently, you must obtain an environmental permit if any of your business processes inflict damage to the environment or human health.

Before you go

Once you have received your permit, you may struggle to comply with all the conditions and rules it requires.

If you are struggling to clamp down on your business’ odour and airborne emissions, we can help.

At Parsons, our speciality resides in expertly manufacturing and supplying bespoke, high-quality fume scrubbing and odour abatement equipment; all made in the UK.

Our flexible, short-term equipment rental options are the ideal solution for air pollution.

In addition to this, with our short-term rental solution, we cut out the long lead times and allow you to spread the cost so that you can minimise your business’ airborne pollution quickly and cost-effectively.

Get in touch today to discuss your requirements.