The Environment Agency regulates businesses and individuals who want to carry out activities that could pollute or negatively affect the environment. They issue licenses, permits, registrations and exemptions. These give people permission to carry out their activity, provided they follow certain rules.

The Environment Agency publishes information about these permissions on public registers so anyone can see it.

Search for information about environmental permits

You can use the public registers to find information about environmental permits for:

• waste operations

• end of life vehicle authorised treatment facilities

• industrial installations

• discharge consents to water and groundwater

• radioactive substances

Search for information about registered exemptions

Some activities are exempt from needing an environmental permit, but the operator must register that they are carrying out that activity. There are strict rules and conditions they must follow to be able to register an exemption.

You can search the public register for registered exemptions for these activities:

• waste

• water quality

• flood risk

Search compliance assessment reports (CARs) forms

A Compliance Assessment Report (CAR) form is used by Environment Agency (EA) officers to assess compliance with Environmental Permits.

Search the public register for CAR forms for discharge consents to water and groundwater published after 28 February 2025.

Find a registered waste carrier

Search the public register to find registered waste carriers, brokers and dealers.

Find a licensed scrap metal dealer

Search the public registersregister to find a licensed scrap metal dealer.

Search Environment Agency prosecutions

The enforcement action register has information on formal cautions and prosecutions the Environment Agency has taken against companies.

For information on enforcement actions against individuals, contact the Environment Agency’s National Customer Contact Centre. The information it can release about individuals may be affected by data protection law and other relevant legal considerations.

Enforcement action information only covers the period from 2000 to the present.

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)

The Environment Agency holds public register information collected under the WEEE regulations. Use the WEEE public registers to find information about:

• EEE producers

• WEEE approved producer compliance schemes

• WEEE approved authorised treatment facilities and approved exporters

Packaging and batteries

On the National Packaging Waste Database you can find public registers of:

• battery or packaging producers

• compliance schemes

• battery treatment operators or exporters

• packaging reprocessors

Large raised reservoirs

The Environment Agency manages a register of large raised reservoirs.

You can email reservoirs@environment-agency.gov.uk to request a copy of this information.

Request a copy of a document

Once you have found the public register information you are interested in, you can ask the Environment Agency to send you a copy of the relevant permit or licence.

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