Use the following guidance to help you complete your application and comply with the conditions of your environmental permit.
Our guidance
‘How to Comply with your Environmental Permit’ contains general guidance on complying with permit conditions. You can download a copy of 'How to Comply' on our generic guidance page:
Sector technical guidance
We have produced four technical guidance notes specific to this sector:
Ferrous metals:
Non-ferrous metals:
Surface treating metals and plastic materials:
There are five Best Available Techniques (BAT) reference notes (Brefs) relevant to this sector, which are prepared by the European IPPC Bureau. These can be accessed at the following links:
Horizontal guidance
The horizontal guidance provides information relevant to all sectors regulated under EPR. It includes information on noise, odour, energy efficiency, and protection of land.
There are also other relevant and useful cross-sector BAT reference notes (Brefs) which can be accessed here:
Regulatory guidance
Regulatory guidance notes (RGNs) are Environment Agency guidance on policy and legal interpretation issues associated with implementing the Environmental Permitting Regulations. You will find 'RGN No. 2 Understanding the meaning of regulated facility' particularly useful. You can view a copy of this and our other RGNs on the following web page:
Making an application
There is one application form, which must be used to apply for a new bespoke or standard permit or to vary, transfer or surrender your permit. Guidance on how to complete the form is provided:
Environmental permitting (EP) charges
Our Environmental Permitting charges pages explain how much a permit will cost:
Operational Risk Appraisal (Opra)
To find out how we assess the environmental risk of an EPR site operation, visit our Opra page. We use the output from Opra to work out charges and for planning our permitting and compliance activity:
Environmental Permitting Regulations
Information to help you understand the wider regulatory framework:
Government guidance
Defra has produced a series of guidance documents.These include 'Core Environmental Permitting Guidance', which describes the general permitting and compliance requirements, and guidance on the European directives which are implemented through the Environmental Permitting Regulations:
