Moving to the new Regulations
From 1 November 2025, water, waste management and industrial activities will be regulated under the Environmental Authorisation (Scotland) Regulations 2018 (EASR).
EASR replaces eight different regulations. These are:
- The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (CAR)
- Pollution Prevention & Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (PPC)
- The Waste Management Licensing (Scotland) Regulations 2011
- Controlled Waste (Registration of Carriers and Seizure of Vehicles) Regulations 1991
- Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989
- Special Waste Regulations 1996
- End-of-Life Vehicles (Storage and Treatment) (Scotland) Regulations 2003
- Landfill (Scotland) Regulations 2003
If you currently carry out an activity that is authorised and regulated under any of the regulations listed above, the move to EASR may affect you.
What will happen to my application?
If you have applied for an authorisation under any of the regulations above but your application hasn’t been determined by 1 November, we will complete it under the regulations you applied under.
If we grant you an authorisation you can find out how it will move to EASR and what this means for you below.
What will happen to my existing authorisation?
In most cases, existing authorisations will automatically move under EASR on 1 November 2025, and the authorisation holder will not need to do anything.
However, for some authorisations moving to EASR may mean a change to authorisation conditions or having to apply for a new authorisation.
What you need to do will depend on the type of existing authorisation you have and the activity you are carrying out.
Find out how existing authorisations will move to EASR and what this means for you below:
CAR licences, registrations and General Binding Rules (GBRs)
| Type of existing authorisation | Type of new authorisation | What this means for you |
|---|---|---|
| CAR registration for a private sewage discharge (the discharge of domestic sewage, whether treated or untreated, from a private sewage treatment system. This includes consents for this activity issued under the Control of Pollution Act 1974). | EASR registration | Your CAR registration will automatically become an EASR authorisation on 1 November 2025. You do not need to do anything. |
| CAR Licence | EASR Permit | Your CAR licence will automatically become an EASR permit on 1 November 2025. You do not need to do anything.
The conditions in your EASR permit will be the same as the conditions in your CAR licence. The responsible person named in your CAR licence becomes the Authorised Person on your EASR permit. The Authorised Person must be the person in control of the regulated activity and is responsible for ensuring compliance with permit conditions. If this is not you, you have 6 months from 1 November 2025 to transfer the permit to the person who is in control and should be named as the Authorised Person. Read transfer an existing authorisation for more information |
| CAR registration (For regulated activities that meet the description of an activity listed on our website that is authorised by an EASR registration) | EASR registration | Your CAR registration will automatically become an EASR authorisation on 1 November 2025. You do not need to do anything. EASR registrations have standard conditions. These are a set of rules you must comply with as part of your authorisation. To give you time to make any changes needed to comply with the standard conditions for your activity, they will not apply until 1 March 2026. Until then your EASR authorisation will have the same conditions as your CAR registration.
If you will be unable to comply with the standard conditions by 1 March 2026, please contact us. On 1 March 2026, your EASR authorisation automatically becomes an EASR registration, and the standard conditions for your activity apply. The person who was originally notified by SEPA when your CAR registration1 was granted becomes the Authorised Person on your EASR registration. The Authorised Person must be the person in control of the regulated activity and is responsible for ensuring compliance with standard conditions. If this is not you, you have 6 months from 1 March 2026 to transfer the registration to the person who is in control and should be named as the Authorised Person. Read transfer an existing authorisation for more information. The exception is registrations for private sewage treatment activities2. |
| CAR registration (For regulated activities that do not meet the description of an activity listed on our website that is authorised by an EASR registration) | EASR permit | Your CAR registration will automatically become an EASR authorisation on 1 November 2025. You do not need to do anything.
On 1 March 2026, your authorisation will then automatically become an EASR permit. Your EASR permit will have the same conditions as your CAR registration. The person who was originally notified by SEPA when your CAR registration1 was granted becomes the Authorised Person on your EASR permit. The Authorised Person must be the person in control of the regulated activity and is responsible for ensuring compliance with permit conditions. If this is not you, you have 6 months from 1 March 2026 to transfer the permit to the person who is in control and should be named as the Authorised Person. Read transfer an existing authorisation for more information. The exception is registrations for private sewage treatment activities2. |
| CAR General Binding Rule (GBR) | EASR General Binding Rule (GBR) | CAR General Binding Rules (GBRs) will be replaced by EASR General Binding Rules (GBRs) on 1 November 2025.
Most of the rules are the same but there are some changes to the rules and some new GBRs. You need to check if any of the rules that apply to your activity have changed. |
1: This includes consents issued under the Control of Pollution Act 1974.
2: For private sewage activities (the discharge of domestic sewage, whether treated or untreated, from a private sewage treatment system) the authorised person is deemed to be the owner of any land from which domestic sewage is discharged into a private sewage treatment system.
Pollution prevention and control (PPC) permits
| Type of existing authorisation | Type of new EASR authorisation | What this means for you |
|---|---|---|
|
PPC permit (other than for activities listed at [x] and permits under Part B(a), (c) or (d) of section 3.5 of chapter 3 of PPC (crushers)). |
EASR permit |
Your PPC permit will automatically become an EASR permit on 1 November 2025. You do not need to do anything. The conditions in your EASR permit will be the same as the conditions in your PPC permit. The operator named in your PPC permit becomes the Authorised Person in your EASR permit. The Authorised Person must be the person in control of the regulated activity and is responsible for ensuring compliance with permit conditions. If this is not you, you have 6 months from 1 November 2025 to transfer the permit to the person who is in control and should be named as the Authorised Person. Read transfer an existing authorisation for more information. |
|
PPC permit (activities listed at [x] |
EASR registration |
Your PPC permit will automatically become an EASR authorisation on 1 November 2025. You do not need to do anything. EASR registrations have standard conditions. These are a set of rules you must comply with as part of your authorisation. To give you time to make any changes needed to comply with the standard conditions for your activity, they will not apply until 1 March 2026. Until then your EASR authorisation will have the same conditions as your PPC permit. If you will be unable to comply with the standard conditions by 1 March 2026, please contact us. On 1 March 2026 your EASR authorisation automatically becomes an EASR registration, and the standard conditions for your activity apply. |
| PPC permit under Part B(a), (c) or (d) of section 3.5 of chapter 3 of PPC (crushers) | EASR General Binding Rule (GBR) | This activity will now be authorised under an EASR General Binding Rule (GBR). The GBR will apply from 1 November 2025 and replaces your PPC permit. |
[X]:
1 Part B(b)(ii), (c), (d) and (e) of section 1.2 of chapter 1 of part 1 of schedule 1 to PPC2012 (petrol vapour recovery),
Part B (a)(ii) of section 3.1 of chapter 3 of part 1 of schedule 1 to PPC2012 (blending or use of cement in bulk),
Part B (e) of section 3.5 of chapter 3 of part 1 of schedule 1 to PPC2012 (roadstone coating with bitumen, excluding roadstone coating with tar),
Part B(a) of section 5.1 of chapter 5 of part 1 of schedule 1 to PPC2012 (incineration of biomass),
Part B(b) of section 6.4 of chapter 6 of part 1 of schedule 1 to PPC2012 (vehicle respraying),
Part B(a) and (b) of section 6.6 of chapter 6 of part 1 of schedule 1 to PPC2012 (timber manufacturing excluding chemical treatment),
Part B(c)(i) of section 6.8 of chapter 6 of part 1 of schedule 1 to PPC2012 (fish ensiling) ,
Activity 12 in column 1 of Table 1 of schedule 2 to PPC2012 (dry cleaning).
Waste management licences and exemptions
| Type of existing authorisation | Type of new EASR authorisation | What this means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Waste management licence | EASR permit | Your waste management licence will automatically become an EASR permit on 1 November 2025. You do not need to do anything.
The conditions in your EASR permit will be the same as the conditions in your waste management licence. The licence holder becomes the Authorised Person in your EASR permit. The Authorised Person must be the person in control of the regulated activity and is responsible for ensuring compliance with permit conditions. If this is not you, you have until 1 April 2026 to transfer the permit to the person who is in control and should be named as the Authorised Person. Read transfer an existing authorisation for more information. |
| Complex waste exemption except paragraphs 7 or 8(2), of Schedule 1 of WMLR | EASR permit, registration or General Binding Rule (dependent on activity) | Depending on the activity, you will need to apply for a new EASR registration or permit, unless your activity is covered by an EASR General Binding Rule (GBR).
If you need to apply for a registration or permit, this should be done by either the date your exemption expires or 1 November 2026, depending on which date comes first. If your activity is covered by a GBR, this will apply from 1 November 2025. |
| Waste exemption under paragraphs 7 or 8(1)(a) of Schedule 1 of WMLR | EASR registration or permit (dependent on activity) | If your waste exemption expires before 1 November 2025, you can either apply for a new EASR authorisation (registration or permit) or apply to renew your existing waste exemption. If you renew your exemption, it will be valid for 12 months after the date of renewal. Once it expires, it cannot be renewed. You will have to apply for an EASR authorisation before the exemption expiry date.
If your waste exemption expires after 31 October 2025, you will need to apply for a new EASR registration or permit. This should be done before the date your exemption expires. |
| Simple waste exemption except paragraph 8(1)(a) of Schedule 1 of WMLR | EASR permit, registration or General Binding Rule (dependent on activity) | Depending on the activity, you will need to apply for a new EASR registration or permit, unless your activity is covered by an EASR General Binding Rule (GBR).
If you need to apply for registration or permit, you will need to do this by 1 November 2026. If your activity is covered by a GBR, this will apply from 1 November 2025. |
Waste carriers, brokers and dealers registrations, and professional collector and transporter of waste (PCTW) registrations
| Type of existing authorisation | Type of new EASR authorisation | What this means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Waste carries registration | EASR registration | Your waste carriers registration will automatically become an EASR registration on 1 November 2025. You do not need to do anything.
Your EASR registration will have the same expiry date as your waste carriers registration. You will need to apply for a new authorisation by that date. EASR registrations have standard conditions. These are a set of rules you must comply with as part of your authorisation. To give you time to make any changes needed to comply with the standard conditions for your activity, they will not apply until 1 April 2026. If you will be unable to comply with the standard conditions by 1 April 2026, please contact us. The registered carrier becomes the Authorised Person in your EASR registration. The Authorised Person must be the person in control of the regulated activity and is responsible for ensuring compliance with standard conditions. If this is not you, you have 6 months from 1 November 2025 to transfer the registration to the person who is in control and should be named as the Authorised Person. Read transfer an existing authorisation for more information. |
| Waste brokers and dealers registration | EASR registration | Your waste brokers and dealers registration will automatically become an EASR registration on 1 November 2025. You do not need to do anything.
Your EASR registration will have the same expiry date as your waste carriers registration. You will need to apply for a new authorisation by that date. EASR registrations have standard conditions. These are a set of rules you must comply with as part of your authorisation. Standard conditions for this activity will apply from 1 November 2025. If you will be unable to comply with the standard conditions, please contact us. The registered broker and dealer becomes the Authorised Person in your EASR registration. The Authorised Person must be the person in control of the regulated activity and is responsible for ensuring compliance with standard conditions. If this is not you, you have 6 months from 1 November 2025 to transfer the registration to the person who is in control and should be named as the Authorised Person. Read transfer an existing authorisation for more information. |
| Professional collector and transporter of waste (PCTW) registration | EASR registration | You need to apply for a new EASR registration by 1 April 2027. Your existing PCTW registration will become an EASR authorisation on 1 November 2025 and remain valid until then. |
New activities
EASR includes some activities that have not needed an authorisation from SEPA before. If you carry out one of these activities, you will now need to apply for an authorisation to do so. Authorisations for these activities are being phased in and you will need to submit your application during the application period relevant to each activity.
The new activities and relevant applicant periods are listed in the table below.
| Activity | Application period |
|---|---|
| Recovery of waste by application to land for the purpose of soil improvement, and the temporary storage of waste at the place where it is to be used for that purpose (sewage sludge to land). | 1 June to 1 November 2025 |
| Burning any fuel in combustion plant which generate electricity on the same site with an aggregated rated thermal input of 1 MW or more. | 28 February to 30 June 2028 |
| Any activity carried on in a technical unit for the capture of carbon dioxide for the purposes of utilisation or storage. | 1 December 2026 to 1 April 2027 |
| Anaerobic digestion of non waste materials and associated feedstock and digestate handling and storage. | 1 December 2027 to 1 April 2028 |
What will happen to my fees and charges?
In most cases the annual charges will remain the same.
If you hold an authorisation for a waste management, water or industrial activity and currently pay an annual fee, we will contact you directly if your annual fee has changed and re-invoice you after 1st November 2025.
If your annual fee is not changing you will be invoiced as normal in April 2026.