Data released by the Environment Agency on waste crime shows little improvement in terms of the number of illegal waste sites being dealt with by the Agency over the past eight years.
The number of sites that the Agency was “dealing with” – as of the end of the financial year 2017-18 – rose to 1,485, up from 1,425 in 2016-17.
The result is also only marginally lower than the 1,556 sites identified by the Agency at the end of 2009-10, where the data starts.
Sites being dealt with by the Agency include 673 ‘active’ illegal waste sites at the end of the financial year, higher than the 601 sites at the end of 2016/17.
Agency action to stop waste crime at sites was also down on the previous year. In total, there were 812 sites where the Agency stopped illegal waste activity in 2017-18, compared with 824 sites the previous year.
The data also shows that 70 sites were brought into regulation during 2017/18 – this was marginally lower than 2016-17. At 359 illegal waste sites, illegal activity was stopped in less than 90 days.
Exports
In terms of exports, the Agency estimates that waste prevented from being exported and stopped at site during the last financial year equated to almost £1.3 million in total revenue being generated by the UK economy.
The total estimated revenue for this activity dropped compared to the previous year. In total, there was £1,297,696 revenue to UK economy from waste prevented and stopped at site for 2017/18, down from £1,366,205 the previous year.
The data shows that 16,223 tonnes were stopped at port and prevented at the loading site for 2017/18. This was down from 19,678 in 2016/17.
And, the number of containers inspected was 1,012, of which 608 were released for export and 367 returned to a waste site. Inspections were up on the previous year.
Pollution
Pollution incident data for the calendar year 2017, has also been published by the Agency.
In terms of pollution, there were 65 serious incidents caused by waste management activities, which includes 4 sectors: waste treatment, landfill, biowaste and incineration with energy recovery.
According to the Agency, this is almost 20% fewer than in 2016 (80 incidents), and almost two-thirds fewer than in 2014 (170 incidents). The biowaste sector reduced incidents from 46 in 2015 to 25 in 2016 and 15 in 2017. This is good progress, but overall there are still too many.
In total, there were 14 fires at sites with permits that caused a serious pollution incident in 2017. All of them were at permitted waste sites, with 6 at non-hazardous waste treatment sites, and 5 at metals recycling waste treatment sites.
“There were a further 12 serious pollution incidents caused by fires at sites we do not permit, 8 of which were at illegal waste sites,” the Agency said.
Enforcement
Commenting on the findings, Sir James Bevan, Environment Agency chief executive, said: “We will always prosecute when a business causes severe harm to the environment. But court action is not always the right response, nor will it always repair the damage done to the environment. So where incidents cause less serious damage we are making increasing use of enforcement undertakings, under which companies admit liability and make a financial offer to put right the harm they have caused.
“Waste crime continues to blight local communities, legitimate businesses, and the environment. On average the Environment Agency is closing down more than 2 illegal sites every day.”
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Source: letsrecycle.com General
