The Duty of Care Regulations 1991 control the storage, handling and disposal of waste and apply to all businesses which produce or dispose of waste.
All Scottish businesses, however small, must ensure that they comply with essential environmental legislation or risk hefty fines, said the Chairman of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Sir Ken Collins. The warning comes as the UK’s environmental regulators launched a free website – to help small businesses understand their environmental obligations.
The NetRegs website, which was launched last week in Edinburgh and at simultaneous events in London, Cardiff and Belfast, contains clear guidance on the environmental regulations governing more than 100 industry sectors. In addition, the site offers information on forthcoming legislation and good practice advice that can help businesses save money.
Small and medium sized enterprises (less than 250 employees) account for more than 99% of all Scottish businesses and are responsible for a significant proportion of commercial waste and pollution incidents. In addition, only a fifth of small Scottish businesses recently questioned could name any environmental legislation and just 17% of respondents had heard of the Duty of Care Regulations, which apply to all businesses.
Failing to comply with environmental legislation can lead to costly fines and directors of the worst offending companies can be prosecuted. Businesses also risk missing out on the growing commercial benefits of good green credentials.
“We have developed NetRegs for small businesses because we recognise that many are struggling to keep up with their environmental obligations and want to give them the help they need to protect both the environment and their business; waste and pollution erode profits,” said Sir Ken.
“NetRegs is a user-friendly website and provides authoritative information on the environmental legislation governing the activities of small and medium sized businesses.”
The launch of the completed NetRegs website, in development since 2002, was welcomed by trade bodies and business support organisations. John Downie, Parliamentary Officer for the Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland, said "NetRegs is a crucial resource for smaller businesses affected by increasing amounts of legislation.
Link:
Netreg Website