Operating licences are our permissions tool for high-risk activities. There are 48 types of prescribed operating activities which require an operating licence under Schedule 1 of the Environment Protection Regulations 2021.

Each operating licence has standard conditions outlining the legal obligations of the licence holder. They set up a framework for risk management, record keeping and reporting.

In addition to standard conditions we might also determine that the operating licence needs site-specific conditions. They can include:

• Discharge conditions, such as discharge limits for air emissions or water discharges.
• Waste acceptance conditions, which set the maximum concentration of contaminants in waste that can be accepted or treated at the activity site.
• Other conditions that are required to ensure that certain practices are occurring at the activity site.