A crack-down on fly-tipping and illegal waste exports has been unveiled by the UK’s Environment Minister Jo Churchill today (21 January) as part of fresh plans that aim to reform the waste industry.
Proposals set out in two new consultations aim to ‘clamp down’ on waste crime and support people and businesses to manage waste correctly.
The reform will see increased background checks for firms who move or trade waste, as well as setting out to make it easier for regulators across the UK ‘take action against rogue operators’, the UK government says.
With waste often handled by intermediaries who conceal their identities to commit serious and organised waste crime, the increased checks will aim to ensure waste is managed by authorised persons only and in a safe manner, making it harder for unregistered operators to find work in the sector.
New plans will also see the introduction of mandatory digital waste tracking, using powers in the landmark Environment Act to overhaul existing waste record keeping.
Reforming the licensing system will clamp down on abuse of the system and new mandatory digital waste tracking will greatly improve transparency in the sector and make it easier for householders to check that their waste is being disposed of legally
This means those handling waste will record information from the point waste is produced to the stage it is disposed of, recycled and reused. This will set out to enable regulators to ‘better detect illegal activity and tackle waste crime’, the UK government says – including fly-tipping, illegal waste sites, and illegal waste exports.
Environment Minister Jo Churchill said in a statement: “Waste criminals show complete disregard for our communities, the environment and the taxpayer.
“We have disrupted these rogue operators by giving extra powers to the Environment Agency, with nearly 1,000 illegal waste sites now being shut down each year, while our new Joint Unit for Waste Crime is successfully disrupting criminal gangs, for example, prosecuting fly tippers illegally dumping hundreds of tonnes of hazardous waste across the countryside.
“But there is more to do. Reforming the licensing system will clamp down on abuse of the system and new mandatory digital waste tracking will greatly improve transparency in the sector and make it easier for householders to check that their waste is being disposed of legally.
“Together, these reforms will stop criminals abusing the waste system and make it easier to prosecute offenders successfully.”
Criminal activities
Criminal activities, including fly-tipping, illegal dumping, and the illegal export of waste abroad harm the environment and pose a risk to both human health and wildlife.
In 2018/19, waste crime cost the English economy around £924 million. Local authorities dealt with nearly 1.13 million fly-tipping incidents this year alone.
An extra £60 million has been given to the Environment Agency to tackle waste crime since 2014, as well as new powers to stop illegal waste sites posing a risk to the environment, including the ability to lock up sites and force rogue operators to clean up all their waste.
The carrier, broker, dealer consultation will seek views from the waste industry and other stakeholders on the move from a registration to a permit-based system which would mean those transporting or making decisions about waste must demonstrate they are competent to make those decisions.
The UK government and devolved governments will work together to develop a UK-wide digital waste tracking service for those handling waste with an aim of helping businesses comply with their duty of care with regards to waste and help them make more informed choices about how their waste is managed.
The consultation announcement comes after mounting reports in recent years of contaminated waste being exported from the UK illegally, including multiple incidents of Polish authorities finding non-recyclable waste transported illegally from the UK.
As a result, according to reports in the Daily Mail, the Environment Agency is allegedly paying £983,000 to a private company to dispose of some 1,500 tonnes of illegally exported waste to the country, and Poland has announced a new registration system for waste transport from 1 February 2021.
World beyond waste
Sarah Poulter, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management (CIWM), said: “For many years, CIWM has worked with the UK waste and resource management sector to highlight the damaging effects of waste crime on local communities, the environment and the industry it represents.
“Correctly implemented, these developments will provide assurance for both waste producers and managers that they are dealing with responsible collectors while directly reducing the impact of waste crime on society and the environment. They will also help to support CIWM and its members in delivering more sustainable resource management practices and help us move to a world beyond waste.”
Correctly implemented, these developments will provide assurance for both waste producers and managers that they are dealing with responsible collectors while directly reducing the impact of waste crime on society and the environment.
Jacob Hayler, Executive Director of the Environmental Services Association (ESA), the trade association representing the waste industry, added: “This could be a pivotal moment in the fight against waste crime, a scourge which severely undermines confidence and investment at a crucial time for our sector.
“ESA is very supportive of the policy proposals outlined which should help to make life difficult for criminals infiltrating our sector and making a fast buck at the expense of legitimate operators and the environment.”
