Environmental regulations and your business

General environmental rules

You must comply with the general environmental rules set out in the Activities Decree (Besluit activiteiten leefomgeving or Bal in Dutch). These rules apply to all entrepreneurs. Your business activities determine which rules you must follow. Use the Maatregelen op maat (taking the right measures, in Dutch) section on the online service counter Omgevingsloket to find out more.

In some cases, your activities may mean you must apply for an environment and planning permit (omgevingsvergunning), file a notification, or submit information. For example, if your work affects the landscape or environment. Do the permit check (vergunningcheck, in Dutch) at the Omgevingsloket to find out whether and which permits you may need for your activities.

Municipal rules

There may also be environmental rules in the municipal environment plan (omgevingsplan). The environment plan contains all the rules that apply to one location. Do you want to build something, start a company, or change an existing building? Before you start, check the rules in the environment plan. You can do so on the Omgevingsloket website, section Regels op de kaart (rules on the map, in Dutch). The Omgevingsloket permit check also helps you find out if what you want to do is permitted, or if you need to apply for an environment and planning permit (omgevingsvergunning).

Provincial rules

Each province has its own environmental decree (milieuverordening). In it, you find the provincial rules on heritage sites, nature, and the provincial infrastructure. Provinces may also include environmental rules. You can find the provincial decrees using the Regels op de kaart section of the Omgevingsloket.

Nature regulations

Is your company located near a nature reserve? Then you may also have to comply with regulations on nature protection and the protection of animal species such as bats outside nature areas. The rules that apply can affect your business activities. If your business activities might affect a nature reserve, you need to apply for a nature conservation permit.

What should you pay attention to?

The following matters are related to (environmental) legislation:

• A company may not produce too much noise. As an entrepreneur, you must prevent noise pollution.
• A company may not produce too much odour nuisance. You must take measures to prevent and limit bothersome smells coming into the environment.
• Special rules apply to company waste. These relate to the separation, collection, and registration of waste.
• You are obliged to keep the environment around your business premises clean. This applies to waste that comes from your company, within a radius of 25 metres.
• Do you market packaged products and packaging in the Netherlands as a producer or importer? Then you are responsible for the management of the packaging up to and including the waste phase.
• Do you discharge waste water into the sewer system? Then you have to consider the waste water rules in the Activities decree (in Dutch) and in the environment plan. This is particularly important for hospitality businesses and food producers, who may discharge fats into the waste water. A fat separator may be needed.
• Rules for soil protection (in Dutch) may also apply. The Bal contains protective measures for activities that may pollute the soil.