Between 17 and 19 May, targeted interventions are due to take place as part of Operation Nortese, involving site inspections, roadside stops and port checks.
The action is being conducted in collaboration with a range of partner enforcement agencies, including the Environment Agency, Police Scotland, the British Transport Police and Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
Other organisations involved in the operation include the Scottish Business Resilience Centre and Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.
Interventions will be carried out jointly between SEPA and the organisations during each day action, with vehicle and waste operations to be targeted across Northern England, the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway.
Certain interventions will also require ‘close coordination’ with SEPA’s environmental counterparts in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Initiative
It forms part of SEPA’s ongoing LIFE SMART Waste project, a five-year initiative funded by the EU LIFE+ Programme which aims to develop ‘new and innovative’ strategies for tackling and disrupting waste crime.
The project also hopes to improve intelligence gathering between European agencies and criminal enterprises which seek to exploit the industry. In 2014, the Scottish Justice Committee heard how ‘serious’ organised crime north of the border had attracted the attention of Interpol (see letsrecycle.com story).
Terry A’Hearn, SEPA’s chief executive, said that while the vast majority of operators behave responsibly, the actions of waste criminals continues to have an adverse impact.
He said: “The upcoming days of action are specifically designed to help us identify the scale of illicit waste transport in Scotland and pilot a series of practical approaches which will improve our ability to tackle the issue. They will also carry the message that compliance is not optional and that our grip is always tightening on the pathways which criminal elements continue to use.
“The multi-agency approach to this initiative is of paramount importance and the lessons learned will ensure that cross border waste crime continues to be tackled effectively in future.”
Intelligence
Dave Edwardson, enforcement team leader at the Environment Agency, added: “Waste officers from the Environment Agency will be taking this opportunity to gather important intelligence about the movement of waste across the border.
“Waste crime undermines legitimate business and affects the environment, and local communities. This multi-agency approach will allow us to investigate the extent of waste activity and help us focus our resources in the right places.”
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