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Waste management and minimisation
Water and land management
Energy and transport management
Environmental Management Systems
Background to legislation
The UK has a long history of environmental legislation dating from the 19th Century. Since joining the European Community, the UK has had to bring national controls in line with the rest of Europe .
The EU produces various kinds of legislative Acts, of which the most important are Regulations and Council Directives.
EU Regulations take effect directly in the national laws of the Member States without the necessity for any additional domestic legislative action. Directives dictate the desired end result but give Member States the discretion to determine how the new legislation is put into effect. It is Directives that are most often used in environmental matters.
