What is EcoScan? EcoScan is a small environmental consultancy that is principally concerned with: The development and implementation for its clients of environmental management systems complying with ISO Assessing and certifying management systems on behalf of BSI and Sira Auditing environmental management systems Providing environmental training Providing an environmental legislation update service to its clients

ISO ISO is a system to help its users Identify their environmental effects and those which are most important Provide control systems Identify opportunities for performance improvement Monitor progress through measurement and audit Identify system improvements ISO is proving to be popular with local authorities and larger companies as a way of confirming that their supply chain is environmentally responsible

ISO Assessments External assessments by bodies like BSI and Sira provide the company and its stakeholders with confirmation that its management system meets all the requirements of the standard The assessments are carried out by trained auditors with experience in the industrial sector concerned The assessments are independent and, while they do not provide consultancy or guidance, nevertheless usually offer benefits associated with a “fresh pair of eyes”

Environmental Audits Environmental audits establish how effectively an organisation is performing against a set of established rules or conditions. These rules or conditions could be: Legislation (legal compliance audit) A management system Both types of audit are a requirements of ISO All audits provide management information on the effectiveness of processes and controls and give a useful information platform for improvement

Training EcoScan provides environmental training to several of its clients on: Environmental and management systems auditing General environmental awareness Waste management Emergency spill response Aspects of management system development

Legal Update EcoScan provides a quarterly legal update service for its clients This consists of a set of briefing notes describing the environmental legislation introduced or amended in the last quarter Information is also given where applicable of expected future legislation and its date of implementation EcoScan holds the environmental legislation register for many of its clients on file and updates them each quarter as part of the service

The Duty of Care (1) The Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991 require the holder of an industrial or commercial waste to: Store it securely Dispose of it through a licensed carrier and disposal site Document the transfer with a waste transfer note Check occasionally that the waste is disposed of as intended Surveys have concluded that up to 60% of small companies are unaware of the full significance of the Duty of Care

Duty of Care (2) Waste transfer notes must: Show the waste holder and the carrier or disposal contractor Contain a description of the waste including the relevant EWC code Be signed by the consigner and consignee Ideally should identify the destination site for the waste

WEEE A much misunderstood piece of legislation Ten categories of equipment are classified as WEEE, of which the most common ones for industry are lighting units, computer and communications equipment and monitoring and measuring equipment White goods and domestic items may also be encountered and are classified as WEEE WEEE must be separated and disposed of to specialised recycling contractors

SWAMPs Site Waste Management Plans are now required for all construction projects valued at over £300,000. They become more demanding for projects valued at over £500,000 SWAMPS involve Identifying the project waste streams Identifying the disposal options and routes Identifying the arrangements for storage of waste Measure the waste

Effluent Consents Trade effluents discharged to foul sewer require a Trade Effluent Consent from the water service company Whilst these are usually granted without a lot of trouble, they can set significant conditions Consents normally specify the volume flow of effluents that is permitted, tits temperature and a range of other conditions such as pH, suspended solids, etc. Consents can be required for activities with low pollution potential such as vehicle washes Failure to comply with the terms of a consent can result in prosecution

Plasterboard Note that as from 1 st April, it will no longer be acceptable to dispose of plasterboard into general waste skips, even if the amount involved is less than the previous 10% threshold

Sources of Legal Information Netregs Croner and CEDREC and other PC or web-based systems OPSI Consultants Lawyers