For most business owners, Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994 is a practical operating law. It asks a simple question: could the way this site, project or activity is run cause environmental harm or create a pollution risk?
That can show up in very ordinary ways: trade waste going down the wrong drain, noisy equipment near neighbours, chemical storage, dusty works, contaminated soil, waste contractors, odour complaints, spill response or a regulator notice with a short deadline.