Businesses and individuals are responsible for complying with environmental regulations and for preventing
pollution of air, land and water. Many thousands of pollution incidents occur each year, originating from factories,
farms, transport activities and even homes. Each incident is an offence and can result in prosecution as well as
environmental damage. However, most cases are avoidable, given careful planning of operations, responsible waste
management and suitable facilities to reduce the risk of spillage - along with simple precautions to deal with any
spillages, in case they occur.
Responsible waste management can ensure that you comply with the relevant regulations, while minimising waste
can reduce the amount of waste produced, which in turn cuts the risk of environmental damage and the costs of
waste disposal.
The series of Pollution Prevention Guidance notes (known as PPGs), of which this is the first, provides practical advice
that will help you to avoid causing pollution, minimise waste and comply with the requirements of the law. Often
the necessary measures cost little, especially if you think about them early on, for example at the design stage, and
can save you money, too. In contrast, the fines for failing to comply with the relevant regulations or the costs of
cleaning up pollution (which are recovered from the polluter wherever possible) can be very high.
The guidance notes cover either a topic of relevance to many sectors, such as oil storage or the use of pressure
washers, or are specific to a particular type of site, such as schools, vehicle-servicing garages or hospitals. In general,
they are cross-referenced to reduce repetition; the guidance on hospitals, for example, refers to the guidance on oil
storage and does not repeat it in detail. You may therefore need several different guidance notes for any one site or
operation. Additional guidance on complying with environmental regulations is available
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