Pollution Prevention

Local nuisances (such as noise, odour, light, dust, vibration, visual)
Litter and fly-tipping (illegal dumping of waste)
Use of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment
Storage of hazardous substances (e.g. oil, gas, liquid, paints, solvents and chemicals)
Use of boilers and furnaces
Activities that may harm local biodiversity
Risk of fire, explosion or flooding
Historical building or land contamination issues (e.g. asbestos, contaminated land, radon area)
Transport of dangerous goods

If our pollution risks are not managed effectively, they could result in:

- Release of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions which contribute to climate change
- Damage to watercourses and aquatic life within them
- Damage to land and habitats

If you or your activities threaten to cause, or have caused, environmental damage you must:

- Take steps to prevent the damage (or further damage) occurring
- Inform the local authority who will tell you what you must do to repair the damage.

If you carry out activities that could give rise to complaints in the local area (such as noise, odour, light, dust, vibration, visual) make sure that you confine activities (including building work) to the daytime wherever possible. Make sure that you know who to contact to report a nuisance or anti-social behaviour (e.g. your local police).

Find out more about Statutory Nuisances.

Litter is waste that has been discarded without consent in an inappropriate location (e.g. on to the ground). Cigarette butts and food and drink packaging are the most common types of litter in the UK. Visual pollution is the major effect of litter and it is a threat to public health. Thousands of animals are injured every year due to litter, for example from sharp edges on cans, broken glass, and plastic bags and can holders. Go to the RSPCA website to find out more. Removing litter is costly. Please make sure your waste is disposed of responsibly.

Fly-tipping is the illegal deposit of any waste on to land, or any waste dumped or tipped on a site with no licence to accept waste. It is a criminal offence. Fines are normally defined by the council that operates in the local area. Common types of fly-tipped waste are cars, white goods, and construction waste, some of which may be hazardous or toxic. All businesses must have a contract with a registered waste carrier and your waste must be taken to a site that is licensed to take commercial waste.

Fluorinated gases (F-gases) are a group of chemicals containing fluorine. F-gases are powerful greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.

Ozone-depleting substances (ODS) are gases which damage the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere. They are being phased out, but can be found in older equipment but there are a few exceptions.

Common uses for ODS and F-gases include refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment, aerosols, solvents, foam blowing agents, firefighting fluids and high voltage switchgear.

Who it affects:

If you manufacture, supply, use, install or service equipment containing F-gases or ODS, you must comply with legislation as described below. Check with your client whether this is Compass Group's or their responsibility.

What you have to do:

Check the name plate mounted on the equipment or refer to the documentation provided with it to answer the following questions, or download and print the Refrigerant Guide.

1) Does your air conditioning and refrigeration equipment use CFC refrigerants: R11, R12, R13, R113, R114, R115, R500, R502, R503?

If yes, the use of CFCs were banned in from 1st January 2001 - Equipment should have been replaced or a CFC replacement sought.

2) Does your air conditioning and refrigeration equipment use R22, R408A or other HCFC refrigerants?

If yes:
(i) Carry out annual leak testing, and
(ii) Plan for phase out as the use of virgin HCFCs such as R22 has been banned since the end of 2009, and the use of recycled/reclaimed HCFCs were banned from 1st January 2015. Equipment should be replaced or a HCFC replacement sought. Find out more about the R22 phase out.

If yes, for systems with more than 3kg of HFC refrigerants:

(i) Keep an inventory of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment
(ii) Keep records of equipment maintenance
(iii) Make sure that only qualified personnel deal with refrigerants
(iv) Make sure that the organisation dealing with refrigerants holds a company certificate
(v) Carry out leak testing at least annually (systems containing >30kg require more regular testing)
(vi) Systems containing 300kg or more must have automatic leak detectors fitted

For systems with less than 3kg of HFC refrigerants:

(i) Prevent leakage of HFC refrigerants and
(ii) Repair leaks as soon as they are detected.

Find out more about managing fluorinated gases and ozone-depleting substances.