Illegal scrap yards targeted by hazardous waste tsar

The Environment Agency has appointed Barry Sheppard to carry out a year-long End of Life Vehicles (ELV) enforcement project which will review and refocus the agency's priorities in tackling ELV crime.

Mr Sheppard will work with industry and government to collate data on fly tipping and illegal sites to try and create a picture of how far ELV crime extends, before working to identify and tackle the worst culprits.

In particular, the project manager will liaise with industry associations such as the British Vehicles Salvage Federation (BVSF) and the Motor Vehicle Dismantlers' Association (MVDA) as well as the Department of Trade and Industry and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Concerns


The enforcement project, which began last month, follows longstanding concerns over the number of illegal sites which are undermining legitimate scrap businesses. Earlier this month, illegal operators were partly blamed for the fact that less than half of cars scrapped in the UK last year, were issued with proof they had been recycled. (see letsrecycle.com story)

Speaking to letsrecycle.com, the EA's head of ELV policy Adrian Harding said: “We have had quite a lot of success over the last year or so in prosecuting illegal operators but we want to work more closely with industry to focus our resources where they have greatest impact.

“Industry raised some concerns about there being a lot of illegal activity and, although it is not realistic to say we can flick a magic switch and it will all disappear, we will work to identify which operations we should tackle as a priority.”

Sites


Mr Harding said that one of the main aims of the ELV enforcement project would be to get to the bottom of how many illegal operators dealt with ELVs.
Illegal operators include those who do not properly de-pollute vehicles before scrapping them and sites which allow contaminants such as oil to seep into the soil by not installing a concrete floor.This week, a Doncaster car dismantler was fined 24,500 this week for keeping burnt out vehicles without a licence. (see letsrecycle.com story)

Mr Harding explained: “There are around 1,300 licensed authorised treatment facilities in the UK and a figure of 500 illegal sites is banded about. We are trying to find out if there is any basis for that figure and want industry to share their information with us.”

However, The EA's head of ELV policy warned that it would take time to tackle some illegal operators and that prosecutions would not necessarily deter others. He said: “You have to be realistic about the time scales of concluding these issues. Court cases are lengthy and not necessarily a deterrent.”

Welcome


Duncan Wemyss, secretary of the MVDA expressed approval at the new initiative, which his organisation has encouraged. He told letsrecycle.com: “We believe that there are still hundreds of illegal operators out there and it is a major task to ensure they all comply. We have told the Environment Agency and they have reacted and have appointed someone to look at the problem.”