HWRC charges and booking systems still under Defra scrutiny

At the weekend in the Telegraph newspaper, Mr Jayawardena outlined the government’s actions to tackle the issue of fly-tipping.

In a follow-up statement yesterday (10 October), the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) reiterated the secretary of state’s stance.

It emphasised that “new waste reforms will combat fly-tipping”. The statement said: “Reform will see increased background checks for firms moving or trading waste, ensuring waste is managed by authorised persons only and in a safe manner, while mandatory waste tracking will mean waste is tracked from the point it is produced so regulators can better detect illegal activity.”

Defra also noted that it is providing capital funding of £450,000 to enable “several councils” to implement measures to tackle flytipping, including installation of CCTV.

HWRCs

In light of the secretary of state’s comments on flytipping, the Department noted: “We have also consulted on changing the rules to ensure households do not have to pay to get rid of DIY waste at recycling centres. At the same time, we are also reviewing the use of booking systems at recycling centres, as they could be increasing the risk of fly-tipping.”

Hampshire

Mr Jayawardena also referenced his own county – Hampshire – in comments about flytipping.
He said: “Fly-tipping is a blight on our towns, cities and beautiful countryside. It is a serious, anti-social crime that costs us an eye-watering £392 million a year, as well as causing inordinate disruption to British businesses.

“In my own county, I hear far too many stories of hard-working farmers and landowners who are forced to clean up the mess left by criminals. We must put an end to this.

“As Environment Secretary, I am determined that we clamp down on fly-tipping – which has been a millstone around the neck of legitimate businesses and curbed economic growth for too long – and make sure those responsible face the full force of the law.

“In recent years we have bolstered local authorities’ powers to tackle fly-tipping. In 2016 local authorities were given the power to issue fixed penalty notices for small scale fly-tipping.”

Penalty notices

“In 2019 local authorities and the Environment Agency were also given the power to issue fixed penalty notices to householders who fail in their household waste duty of care and give waste to unlicenced waste carriers. This has given councils an alternative to prosecutions and assists them in taking a proportionate enforcement response.

“Other tools available to them include the power to seize and destroy vehicles used for fly-tipping.

“The Government has set up the Joint Unit for Waste Crime to disrupt serious and organised crime and reduce its impact on the environment and the economy.  The Unit brings together agencies from across the UK including the Environment Agency; Natural Resources Wales; the Scottish Environment Protection Agency; the Northern Ireland EA; the police; HMRC, the British Transport Police and the National Crime Agency.”