Food and drink manufacturers will not, as originally feared, have to obtain permits to operate existing effluent treatment plants, if latest guidance from the Environment Agency (EA) is adopted.
It now seems likely that only plants handling effluent from multiple sources - such as those operated by waste disposal contractors - will fall under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations 2000 (PPC), which will reduce the number of plants requiring permits from thousands to just hundreds, said the EA food and drink sector co-ordinator Howard Leberman.
Under PPC, aqueous waste treatment plants carrying out biological treatment on more than 50t/day are subject to a transitional period from April to June 2006, while physical and chemical treatment plants must come into line between September and November 2006.
Leberman said: "As the regulations stand - and if we go for a literal interpretation - that means that virtually every effluent treatment plant in the country comes to the agency during those transitional windows. That's a phenomenal amount of work for very little gain.
"If the interpretations go through [as now planned] we would only consider stand alone effluent treatment plants that received waste from a variety of sources. If you have a treatment plant that is dedicated to receiving effluent from a food and drink site with which it is associated, we would not pick it up as part of this description."
That would come as a big relief to many. In a recent test case, a high court ruling declared that four treatment plants run by the UK's largest waste water operator United Utilities did fall under the regulations. Commenting on that, and prior to news of the EA's revised plans, Sarah Thomas, a partner with legal firm Pinsent Masons, warned: "The decision has significant implications for both the water industry and other industrial sectors undertaking treatment activities for which it is still unclear whether and to what extent, they fall under the PPC Regulations."
As an example of how firms can cut effluent bills, a 'purge on waste' has helped Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) reduce water usage by 19%, as well as cutting energy bills by 12% and waste going to landfill by 57% in the last three years.
Speaking mid-way through a trial of recycled materials for 500ml polyethylene terephthalate Coke bottles, CCE's environmental affairs manager Paul Smith said the firm had seen a step change in performance after introducing strict monitoring regimes for water and energy across all its British manufacturing sites.