The Environmental Protection Agency devotes considerable resources to enforcing licences issued under the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992 and 2003 and the Waste Management Act 1996 to 2005.
Enforcement activities by our inspectors include inspections, audits and emission monitoring. We assess the results of emissions monitoring carried out at licensed facilities to determine any environmental impact of emissions.
Other activities include evaluating proposals for new processes, work practices and infrastructure to ensure compliance with Irish and EU legislation.
In our daily interaction with licensed facilities, our inspectors encourage individuals and businesses to integrate good environmental practices into their working methods and to have appropriate management structures in place.
This is done through the development of Environmental Management Systems at licensed facilities, all of which helps to prevent environmental pollution occurring and promotes continual improvements in environmental performance.
Our inspectors respond to incidents and emergencies at licensed facilities, in order to assist in minimising environmental impact and, where appropriate, to assist the emergency response agencies in their work. They also review complaints about licensed facilities, and work with licensees to ensure that they proactively communicate to individuals and local communities their measures to minimise any impact from their facilities.
These enforcement activities help to ensure that:
Find out about the changes since July 2006 in the numbering system for both waste and IPPC licences
View licence applications
