The Act provides for “the prevention, control and abatement of pollution and environmental harm, for the conservation, preservation, protection, enhancement and management of the environment and for matters incidental to or connected with the foregoing”.
To protect the environment of the State by taking into consideration 5 key principles. 1: Precautionary principle, 2: intergenerational equity, 3: conservation of biological diversity and ecological integrity, 4: improved valuation, pricing, and incentive mechanisms, 5: principle of waste minimisation.
The Act provides a regulatory framework to help reduce and eliminate the discharge of pollutants into the air, land, and water. Objects of the Act include to protect and enhance the quality of the environment. to prevent environmental degradation and risk of harm to human health by promoting pollution prevention, clean production technology, reuse and recycling of materials and waste minimisation programs. The Act requires people who engage in pollutant activities to make progressive environmental improvements, and is administered by the Environment Protection Authority.