Dry Cleaning and the Solvent Emission Regulations 2004

Introduction

Recently, new legislation, The Solvent Emissions (England and Wales) Regulations 2004, SI 107, has been introduced to further limit the emissions of volatile organic compounds due to the use of organic solvents in certain activities and installations.

The Solvent Emissions (England and Wales) Regulations 2004 (the "SED" Regulations) came into force on 20 January 2004 and give effect to European Directive 1999/13/EC, commonly referred to as The Solvent Emissions Directive (the "SED").

This SED can be accessed by following the link below:

• The SED 

The SED Regulations can be accessed by following the link below:

• The SED Regulations

The Directive was largely transposed into UK legislation by Directions issued to the Environment Agency and to Local Authorities in March 2002, under the existing Environmental Protection Act 1990 (the “EPA”) and Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations 2000 (the “PPC Regulations), requiring regulators to include the requirements of the SED into authorisations and permits. The SED has now been incorporated into the new Environmental Permitting Regulations 2007.

Dry Cleaning

The SED Regulations introduced limits on solvent usage and emissions from activities not previously regulated under the EP Regulations, e.g. dry cleaning.

This means that dry cleaning processes / installations are now prescribed for LAPPC control under Section 7 of Schedule 1 of the EP Regulations 2007.

Therefore, if you are an operator of a dry cleaning installation / activity you will require a permit to operate / continue to operate. In this case you should refer back to the main page for guidance on making an application.

Before you make an application to Tameside MBC you should obtain a copy of the relevant guidance note for dry cleaning activities. The guidance note, PG6/46(04), is available via the following link below:

• Dry cleaning activities 

The guidance note is also available in Greek, Gujarati, Turkish and Urdu via the same link above.

All new dry cleaning installations require a permit before operations commence.

Existing dry cleaning installations, those in operation before 1 April 2001, should now have a permit in place.

The date for compliance with the requirements of the SED Regulations / EP Regulations is 31 October 2007
 

Brief Details of Requirements

The requirements of the EP Regulations apply to any dry cleaning installation / activity using organic solvents, in particular; perchloroethylene (PER), hydrocarbon solvent (HCS) and siloxane.

In the context of the EP Regulations, “process” or “activity” comprises the whole process from receipt of raw materials via processing dispatch of finished products, including the treating, handling and storage of all materials and wastes relating to the products.

Controls will apply to all volatile organic compound (VOC) releases to all media from dry cleaning activities using organic solvents, except for the manual removal of stains and spots in the textile and clothing manufacturing industries.

Briefly, the SED requires that dry cleaning installations are operated in such a manner that no more than 20 grams of solvent per kilogram of product cleaned and dried shall be emitted as measured on an annual basis. The 20 grams includes all organic solvents used within the installation e.g. dry cleaning solvent, water-proofing solutions and spot cleaning solutions. The regulator will be required to check compliance with this directive requirement using the return submitted by the operator to demonstrate compliance.
 

Contact Information for Advice

For further information or help in relation to the SED Regulations and specifically dry cleaning contact