Environmental Management

Pollution Prevention

Defence undertakes a wide range of activities which require the use of potentially polluting and hazardous materials. Effective management of polluting activities and substances will enable Defence to avoid the costs of creating future contamination issues while improving health and safety performance, capability, environmental quality and reputation.

Pollution prevention forms part of Defence’s Environmental Strategy (2016-2036) which states under Strategic Aim 3 that " Defence will minimise future pollution risks and manage existing contamination risks."

Common potentially polluting activities include:

• fire fighting activities
• fuel and chemical storage and handling
• waste management
• live fire activities
• aircraft operation and maintenance
• marine activities
• stormwater management

A detailed list of the priority pollutants associated with these activities is included in the Priority Pollutants Register.

Pollution risks can be minimised through:

• procurement of "greener" substitutes
• appropriate management of polluting activities
• incorporation of pollution prevention into all phases of the capability lifecycle.

EE has established five broad themes where pollution prevention can be addressed. Further details on these themes can be found in the Pollution Prevention Management Manual.

The five themes are:

• Understanding and establishing priorities for addressing pollution risks on the Defence estate
• Reducing pollution risks through effective maintenance and upgrade of the estate
• Reducing pollution through construction of new facilities and equipment compliant with relevant standards and design principles
• Innovation and continuous improvement in pollution prevention
• Reducing pollution incidents through improved operating procedures and user behaviour

Contacts

To find out more, contact the Directorate of Environment and Heritage Policy Development (DEHPD), or your local regional environmental personnel. The Assistant Director Environment and Sustainability (ADES) and Regional Environment and Sustainability Officers (RESOs) support this role in the Zones.