Business regulations have been introduced in recent years to improve the disregard for the maintenance of the environment in the past.
Control of pollution was the main focus of initial regulation though the increased consumer awareness and the influence of the European Union has seen the issues widened.
The main law governing environmental issues is the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which was the first step to integrating existing legislation and creating a unified environmental policy. The first part of the Act has been replaced by the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999 which implements a European Directive.
These now incorporate areas such as Waste management, Nuisance and litter.
The significant penalty is that business owners and managers that commit offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 can be held personally liable and fined, or imprisoned.
Greater awareness of environmental issues amongst the population has prompted many larger businesses to incorporate environmental issues into their business objectives. Energy conservation and waste recycling may have an economic benefit to the organisation from consuming less energy through to selling the separated waste to other organisations.
