Metal sector raises concerns over EPP regulations

From Sunday April 6, The Environmental Permitting Programme (EPP) will integrate Waste Management Licensing (WML) and Pollution Prevention Control (PPC) permits into one single regulatory system, replacing over 40 separate sets of regulations.

New “standard rules” will also be available for certain low-risk activities, such as composting.

The regulations have been heralded as an “important initiative that cuts red tape and provides and easier and more flexible permit”, by Joan Ruddock, minister for climate change, biodiversity and waste.

However, speaking to letsrecycle.com today, director general of the British Metals Recycling Association, Lindsay Millington, warned that she was worried the regulations had not been adequately “road-tested” to ensure they were workable on the ground.

In addition, she claimed that there was no guidance for individual recycling sectors to comply with the regulations and they actually increased the requirements for site managers to have the right certificates of technical compliance.

She said: “I think as an overall programme it's mainly of benefit to the regulators, by putting everything under one wrapper.

“I have not seen anything at all that makes the operators' lives any easier,” she added.

Regime

Under the EPP regime, existing WMLs or PPC permits will automatically become environmental permits from the date the regulations come into force, with no action from operators required.

Defra expects it will reduce the administrative burden for industry and regulators by around £76 million over 10 years.

Mrs Ruddock said: “The changes will have benefits for a wide range of low-risk businesses, but particularly for smaller enterprises, which often have limited time and resources to spend on form filling.”

However, Ms Millington said that problems were likely to occur similar to those that had already been experienced  in transferring WEEE licences under the EPP system, because the regulation had been “rushed” in.

She said: “The regulations have been somewhat rushed in and although the relevant officers have been receptive to our comments it is all happening at the last minute without sufficient consultation – it's an overall lack of planning.”

Ms Millington explained that the lack of specific guidance for the metal recycling sector – as had been produced in the past – was also a concern.

She said: “EPP is written for everyone from metal recyclers to CA site operators and landfill managers and it has become more generic which is not helping. In the metal sector we have to deal with over 15 strands of legislation and we need sector specific guidance, for both operators and regulators to our sites.”