The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is Scotland’s environmental regulator. SEPA is responsible for protecting Scotland’s environment and human health against risks such as flooding and the effects of waste disposal. It also works to ensure that natural resources are managed in a sustainable way.
SEPA and waste
Licensing and monitoring waste management facilities such as landfills and incinerators are the responsibility of SEPA. The agency also administers producer compliance schemes for materials such as waste packaging, and regulates the transfrontier shipment of wastes, such as exports of waste paper and plastic.
SEPA works to discourage illegal waste management activities that harm the environment and damage the business of legitimate operators who abide by the rules. Examples of illegal waste management activities tackled by SEPA include illegal landfill sites, unlicensed skip hire operators, large scale waste dumping, and the unlawful collection, storage and breaking of scrap cars. SEPA also partners with police forces and other agencies to tackle the unauthorised collection, storage and export of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).
SEPA is participating in the UK-wide mandatory digital waste tracking (MDWT) scheme which is sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). MDWT aims to create a unified digital system to replace existing waste tracking processes that mostly rely on paper documentation. When it is launched in April 2025, MDWT promises to reveal more about where the UK’s waste ends up. There is a risk that the scheme gets delayed, however.
SEPA and water
SEPA is responsible for protecting, managing and improving Scotland’s water environment, and safeguarding biodiversity. SEPA leads river basin management planning (RBMP) in Scotland and is the country’s flood warning authority. SEPA works to monitor the water environment – including bathing waters – by assessing water quality and quantity.
SEPA and air
SEPA regulates and monitors emissions from a number of industrial activities that can cause air pollution. It advises local authorities on the location, design and layout of new infrastructure and building developments. SEPA also has reserve powers, subject to the approval of Scottish ministers, to take action where local authorities have made insufficient progress on improving local air quality under Section 85 of the Environment Act (1995).
SEPA’s other responsibilities
Aside from environmental regulation, SEPA has wider responsibilities that range from mitigating and adapting to climate change, monitoring and reporting on the state of the environment, raising awareness of environmental issues, engaging with the public through citizen science projects, and resolving environmental harms.
