Environmental supervision for companies and agriculture

An environmental inspection ensures that the company is operated in accordance with current environmental legislation and also provides guidance so that unnecessary problems, complaints and expenses are avoided.

If you have a farm, you can download an app for it android or iphone.

How does an environmental inspection take place?

Inspections can be either announced or unannounced.

From 2025, an environmental inspection will include a basic inspection, a waste inspection and an offer of dialogue on climate, sustainability and green transition.

The inspection includes a tour inside and outside the company. There will be a focus on all the conditions that are important for the company's impact on the environment, such as emissions to the air, noise, waste water, waste and the risk of soil pollution. The supervision is adapted to the activities that take place at the company.

It may happen that we become aware of violations of rules and conditions, which require emphasis or injunction to get the relationship put in order before a given deadline.

After the environmental inspection, the company receives an inspection report describing the observed environmental conditions at the company as well as an inspection letter with comments to the environmental inspection - for example, whether there are conditions that need to be improved.

Dialogue on climate, sustainability and green transition

The green transition has a high priority in Sønderborg Municipality. In Sønderborg Municipality's environmental supervision plan for 2025-2028, it appears that the municipality's supervisors must increase focus and dialogue regarding climate and sustainability in environmental supervision.

Many companies in the municipality are already well underway with climate initiatives. We therefore want, in connection with the environmental inspection, a dialogue about the companies' experiences/considerations and how we, in Sønderborg Municipality, can support their development.

Since this topic is not a requirement, cf. the Environmental Supervision Executive Order, this part of the supervision is voluntary and without user fees.

When is an environmental inspection carried out?

Different types of environmental inspections are performed:

• Basic supervision
  Inspections are carried out every 3 years on companies and farms that have or are to have an environmental approval/notification, and every 6 years on all other companies that are covered by the executive order on user fees for approval and supervision.
• Waste supervision
  As of 1 January 2025, new legislation has come into force that will strengthen the supervision of companies' sorting and handling of waste. Sønderborg Municipality will therefore conduct a waste supervision together with the basic supervision in the future. This does not have much significance for the performance of the basic supervision itself, as the companies are familiar with it from before. The biggest difference is the user payment rate, which can be read about in the next section. More information about the waste supervision can be found at The Danish Environmental Protection Agency's website.
• Priority supervision
  In between the basic inspections, the company can have an additional smaller inspection - a prioritized inspection. Priority inspections are usually carried out on companies with the greatest potential impact on the environment.
• Supervision campaigns and other supervision
  In addition to basic inspections and prioritized inspections, all companies can be inspected in connection with inspection campaigns. Inspection campaigns are limited and targeted inspections around a specific environmental problem or theme. In addition, a company can be inspected in connection with neighbor complaints.
• Closing supervision
  Companies that are subject to regular environmental inspections should have a final inspection upon closure. In this connection, the company must contact the Business and Waste department at erhverv-affald@sonderborg.dk 

As a business owner / farmer, do I have to pay for an environmental inspection?

Environmental supervision

We must charge a user fee for the environmental inspection, including the time we use to notify and prepare the inspection, prepare a report, obtain information after the inspection and prepare a letter with a response to the environmental inspection as well as reporting to national systems.

The hourly rate for environmental inspection work is regulated annually by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency. In 2025 the rate is DKK 487,25 per hour..

Waste supervision

We must also charge a user fee for waste supervision. The payment is based on the principle that the polluter pays. This means that companies must cover all the costs of the authority that the supervision gives rise to. The user fee applies to all the hours that the supervisor uses, i.e. both on the company visit, driving, case processing and guidance in connection with the supervision and helps to cover other costs for IT systems, equipment, etc.

In 2025, the rate for waste inspection in Sønderborg Municipality is DKK 699,00 per hour..

Dialogue on climate, sustainability and green transition

This dialogue is voluntary and free of charge for the company/agriculture.

User fee collection

Invoices for environmental inspections and waste inspections are issued each year in November for environmental inspections carried out in the period from 1 November of the previous year to 31 October of the current year. User fees for tasks carried out in the last two months of the year will be charged the following year.

Where can I see the result of the audit?

No later than 4 months after the environmental inspection has taken place at the company, information about the inspection is published digitally on Digital Environmental Management.