Access to Information - About SEPA

SEPA is a non-departmental public body and reports to the Scottish Goverment. It is funded by public funds, via the Scottish Government, and by those regulated by SEPA, under the ‘polluter pays’ principle.

SEPA was established by the Environment Act 1995. It became operational on 1 April 1996 . The Environment Act 1995 also sets out SEPA's powers and responsibilities. SEPA took over functions previously managed by many other public bodies, principally:

  • local authorities
  • river purification boards
  • Her Majesty’s Industrial Pollution Inspectorate.

Our main aims

Our main aim is to provide an efficient and integrated environmental protection system for Scotland that will improve the environment and contribute to the Scottish Ministers' goal of sustainable development.

  • Providing an excellent environmental service for the people of Scotland - Regulation and the Environment.
  • Improving sustainable use of natural resources by minimising waste, recovering value and ensuring best management of disposal
  • Maintaining and restoring all water environments
  • Ensuring good air quality
  • Ensuring land quality is protected, maintained and restored
  • Promoting respect for the environment in Scotland
  • Creating the environmental framework for the economic well-being of Scotland

What we do

Our roles are defined in various sets of legislation and other legal instruments. Sometimes, our work overlaps with other organisations, especially local authorities.

In broad terms, SEPA regulates:

  • activities that may pollute water
  • activities that may pollute air
  • storage, transport and disposal of waste
  • keeping and disposal of radioactive materials.


Some of SEPA's other principal responsibilities include:

  • maintaining a flood warning system
  • implementing the National Waste Strategy
  • monitoring environmental quality
  • reporting compliance with EU environmental legislation
  • controlling, with the Health and Safety Executive, the risk of major accidents at industrial sites
  • operating the Scottish part of the Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network

SEPA also works with many other organisations to help protect and improve the environment. For details, please see our ‘who does what’ guide.

How we make decisions

When making decisions, SEPA must take into account various factors, including:

  • environmental and other legislation
  • scientific data about environmental quality
  • actions and performance of operators
  • views of the public and their representatives.

Decision processes involve several major groups:

  • main board
  • corporate management team
  • licensing teams
  • environmental quality groups.

Staff also take decisions every day, as an essential part of their job. There is a range of mechanisms to help ensure that these decisions are appropriate and consistent:

  • policies and procedures
  • formal training and peer support (e.g. referring to a senior colleague)
  • schemes of delegation (explaining who can take which particular decisions).