Waste and resources firm Viridor has backed policy proposals put forward this week aimed at tackling illegal waste operations – which it is claimed are costing the economy close to £600 million per year.
The ESA-backed report outlined recommendations for the government to better tackle waste crime
Proposals were put forward in a report commissioned by the Environmental Services Association Educational Trust (ESAET) and Environmental Services Association (ESA) aimed at tackling waste crime, launched this week.
Rethinking Waste Crime, which was published on Tuesday (May 2), outlined a series of recommendations for the government to better tackle waste crime, and called for more effective regulation and enforcement.
Among the recommendations, Rethinking Waste Crime suggests applying bans to serious and repeat offenders to make it more difficult for waste criminals to re-enter the sector; imposing landfill tax on illegal waste sites; and, increasing enforcement activities by regulatory bodies.
Viridor said it supports calls for regulations in England to be reviewed, as suggested in the report, to prevent criminal abuse.
Commenting on the proposals, Viridor’s head of public affairs, Martin Grey, said the report offered a meaningful approach to the issues which allowed waste crime to flourish in England.
Waste sector
According to Mr Grey, the waste sector is rapidly evolving, but barriers to industry entry in England currently remain too low, making it vulnerable to criminals who could exploit the system.
Mr Grey said that Viridor supports ‘smart, targeted and enhanced’ regulation to tackle non-compliance and fight rising waste crime which threatens the sector’s development and Britain’s economic and environmental interests.
According to Viridor, this is in line with the report’s finding that majority of waste crime in England is associated with waste from businesses, not from households.
“In order to continue Viridor’s investment in this sector, in new technology and new job opportunities, we need to crack down on those criminals who profit from waste crime and cause misery in our communities through fly-tipping.”
Martin Grey
Viridor
Mr Grey said: “In order to continue Viridor’s investment in this sector, in new technology and new job opportunities, we need to crack down on those criminals who profit from waste crime and cause misery in our communities through fly-tipping.”
He said the ‘true and shocking’ cost of waste crime to Britain was emphasised in the report when it was linked to the equivalent cost of building 34 new secondary schools or paying for 4,137 NHS hospital beds per year.
The report, which was written by consultancy firm Eunomia and also supported by the ‘Right Waste Right Place’ duty of care campaign, suggested that the waste sector, which adds a reported £6.6 billion of value to the UK economy, has changed ‘beyond recognition’ in the last two decades and that regulation has not kept up pace.
According to the report, the most serious waste crime falls into one of six categories: illegal waste sites, inaccurately describing waste, illegal export of waste, illegal burning of waste, fly tipping and serious breaches of permit conditions.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
