Environment Agency chief James Bevin has urged the UK to ban the export of waste from the UK altogether to fight crime.
Bevin warned that current rules allowing certain kinds of waste to be shipped abroad for processing could provide cover for “illegal and destructive waste trafficking”, and a ban would make illegal shipments more difficult.
In a speech to the Environmental Services Association on Tuesday, the EA chief also called for regulators to have more weapons to scale up waste crimes, including higher fines and more and longer sentences.
Shipped
Six years after describing waste crime as the “new drug”, Bevin warns the problem has worsened considerably since then.
“All the evidence points to a rise in trash crime,” he will tell the event.
The Environment Agency’s own 2021 National Waste Crime Survey has concluded that waste crime in England is endemic.
“And we have every reason to believe that the Covid-19 lockdown has made it harder for EA and law enforcement to operate freely, which has contributed to further growth over the past two years.”
Currently, waste shipments abroad must either comply with control measures covering most non-hazardous materials, or obtain consent from all relevant authorities prior to shipment.
Trafficking
Evidence of problems caused by British waste abroad has emerged, such as plastic waste being incinerated and dumped in Turkey instead of being recycled, prompting British authorities or importing countries to impose restrictions.
In his speech, Bevin is expected to say: “It is legal to ship certain types of waste abroad, but right? Is it ethically correct to dump the waste we make into another country for disposal?
“With more and more countries rejecting our waste, how sustainable is it as a business model for those currently exporting waste from the UK?
“Is the current legal framework doing what it’s supposed to do, which is to protect people and the environment from harm, or does it actually provide cover for illegal and destructive waste trafficking?”
license
The UK government’s 2018 resources and waste strategy outlines the UK’s aim to process more waste domestically – with the strategy due to be updated next year, this could be the perfect opportunity to send a strong signal to stop waste exports altogether, says Sir James .
“I think we should set ourselves a challenge that we process all waste domestically and end all waste exports as soon as possible,” he added.
He would say the UK has the expertise to handle all waste domestically, which will drive more recycling, more innovation and new business in the UK, including those that are currently exporting legally.
EA also supports government efforts to crack down on the ways criminals exploit the current system, such as strengthening background checks and licensing, he said.
prison
The speech will call for more money to be raised from confiscated criminal assets to fight waste crime, and for the agency to be able to use some of the revenue from regulating the legal waste industry to tackle criminal activity.
“Our policy now is to try to stop rubbish crime before it happens. One of the best ways to do that is to change the way criminals are computerized and, if caught, impose harsher penalties on them.
“We would like to see larger fines – which many serious criminals currently see as business expenses – and more use of forfeited criminal assets.
“But in particular we want to see more and longer sentences, which really focus on criminal psychology,” he would say.
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Emily Beament is the PA Environmental Correspondent.
