Case Studies

Waste crime report

by Mark Rowe

The Environment Agency’s crime reduction unit has launched a campaign urging anyone spotting “waste crime” to report it.

The Environment Agency reported last month that it stopped 1,279 illegal waste sites last year – the equivalent of 25 sites a week – in its second annual waste crime report. The number of sites stopped increased by 70 per cent on 2011/12 figures, attributed to the Environment Agency’s crackdown on illegal sites, which saw an Illegal Waste Sites Taskforce set up for two years.

For the full report – http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/130133.aspx

Legitimate waste businesses report that they are being undercut by these illegal sites, which can offer waste collection, treatment and disposal at cheaper prices than their competitors, but which have no intention of disposing of this waste safely. It is estimated that waste crime diverts as much as £1bn every year from legitimate businesses and HM Treasury.
Some of the major crimes stopped this year include illegal exports, serious dumping incidents and illegal waste sites where waste is burnt or and buried with no environmental safeguards in place. Illegal waste sites can cause misery for local communities with infestations of flies, acrid smoke and ugly piles of waste affecting homes and quality of life. They can also lead to serious pollution incidents.

Ed Mitchell, Director of Environment and Business at the Environment Agency, said: “Waste crime puts people and the environment at risk, and undermines the legitimate waste industry. We are taking tough action to deal with this problem, through the improved use of intelligence and stronger partnerships with the police and other enforcement bodies. The two year Illegal Waste Sites Taskforce has been hugely successful in slashing the number of illegal waste sites operating in England.”
The report also shows that most illegal waste sites are now shut down within 12 months. The report also reports that:

The majority of illegal waste sites are still clustered around towns, cities and key motorway links.
Construction and demolition waste continues to be a problem – with construction waste present at over 25 per cent of illegal waste sites and 23 per cent of large scale illegal waste dumping incidents.
Scrap cars are found at a quarter of all illegal waste sites, and there were a significant number of serious waste dumps involving chemical drums, oil or fuel.
The courts confiscated over £1.3m last year from waste criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

In Boston, crime reduction officer Paul Cheeseman said it could be large-scale waste crime, such as hazardous or industrial and commercial waste being dumped illegally, rubbish being illegally shipped abroad or fly-tipping along a country lane.

He said organised criminals were avoiding proper procedure for dealing with often hazardous waste by concealing it inside lawful product to be shipped abroad where it was often not dealt with safely, putting the environment and health and even lives at risk.

Michael Brookes, Boston Borough Council’s waste services portfolio holder, said the cost locally of dealing with fly-tipped rubbish fell on everyone. But he praised the efforts of Operation Fly Swat – a joint-agency partnership using labour from HM Prison North Sea Camp – which collects fly-tipped rubbish throughout Boston borough and South Holland District Council area.

Mr Cheeseman warned local farmers to be wary of any callers offering cash to rent land for “storage”. He said some had ended up with piles of rubbish dumped on their land and had never seen the people renting the land again. Rubbish on private land becomes the responsibility of the land owner. Residents are reminded that their waste is their responsibility – even if they hire someone to take it away for them. Unregistered waste carriers have been known to take cash to dispose of waste, only for it to be found dumped in a ditch close by. If the waste can be traced back to the owner, they can be held responsible.

Waste carriers have to be licensed by the Environment Agency. To check if someone is a registered waste carrier, people should ask for their waste carrier number. Contact the Environment Agency on 03708 506506 and ask for a waste carrier validation check. If a contractor is not registered, their services should be refused and a request made that they seek advice from the Environment Agency.

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