Regulators

Regulators are necessary to ensure that the minimum levels of performance are attained by all. The two main environmental regulators for furniture manufacturers are the Environment Agency and the local authorities - though the regional sewerage undertakers also have a degree of control.

Environment Agency

Created on 1 st April 1996 by the Environment Act 1995 , the Environment Agency has taken over duties previously held by:

National Rivers Authority
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution
Waste Regulation Authorities

North of the border, the Agency is known as SEPA - Scottish Environmental Protection Agency - which is also responsible for Air Pollution Control regulation.

These Agencies creates a one stop shop for water and waste regulation, as well as regulating all environmental impacts from the most polluting industrial sites in the country.

Local authorities

Local authorities are responsible for dealing with air pollution from lesser polluting industries. They are therefore responsible for Air Pollution Control authorisations, e.g. for wood coatings and wood burning boilers. Local authorities also regulate occurrences of nuisance such as dust, odour and smoke as well as having duties under the Contaminated Land Regulations 2000.

Regional sewerage undertakers

A degree of regulatory control over discharges to foul sewer is held by the regional sewerage undertakers. The latter are responsible for the issue of consents to discharge trade effluents to foul sewer. However, as a result of the appalling compliance records of the regional sewerage undertakers, there are pressures to transfer their regulatory functions to the Environment Agency.