letsrecycle.com

Organised waste crime damaging N. Ireland

By Tom Goulding

Northern Ireland is highly vulnerable to widespread organised waste crime, an independent report has found.

The report, in which ex-Welsh EA director Chris Mills outlines concerns and recommendations for combatting waste crime, was commissioned by previous environment minister Alex Attwood in June this year.

The Mills Report looks into the prevalence of waste crime in Northern Ireland and how best to combat it
The Mills Report looks into the prevalence of waste crime in Northern Ireland and how best to combat it

The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) explained that the call for the report came after it uncovered 516,000 tonnes of illegally dumped waste in Mobuoy near Derry.

The Agency noted that the illegal operation saw waste dumped over a number of years, across an area of almost 1.4km in and around a licensed materials recycling facility (MRF) owned and run by City & Industrial Waste Ltd. The majority of waste had been buried in sand and gravel pits, which were originally excavated by Campsie Sand & Gravel Ltd.

While it is still not known who deposited the waste despite two arrests made as part of an ongoing investigation – the Mills Report has identified deficiencies in Northern Irelands regulations that can easily be exploited by organised waste criminals.

The report found that the fit and proper person test is insufficient to screen out criminals, allowing them to obtain a licence or permit to run a waste facility. This would enable them to tender for waste contracts competitively, undercutting legitimate operators.

Meanwhile, deficiencies in the waste carrier registration system means regulators are unable to track waste flows with any accuracy, according to the report.

It goes on to suggest this has created a network wherein waste can be easily moved around including in and out of licensed facilities, concealing where the waste eventually ends up.

‘I can assure you though, we have not been sitting on our hands awaiting the report..this marks the beginning of a major strengthening of NIEAs regulatory activities.’

Mark H Durkan, environment minister for Northern Ireland

The report also criticises a lack of effective sanctions to make the polluter pay for remediation or removal work which usually falls on the state and can run into tens of millions of pounds.

The report concludes that an overhaul of the regulatory service within the NIEA is needed if it is to become more integrated and adaptive, enabling it to recruit staff with the right aptitudes.

Commenting on the recommendations, environment minister Mark H Durkan said: I received the report on the 10th of December. It makes for sober reading. Mr Mills is clear in pointing out that we have serious problems right across our waste systems.

I have directed the new Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency to urgently prepare a robust range of actions for my consideration. I will issue my response to the Mills Report in the new year so that everyone is clear about the actions that will be taken to fix the problems that Mr Mills has identified.

I can assure you though, we have not been sitting on our hands awaiting the report. We have already allocated 1.5million to NIEA to upgrade its waste regulation and enforcement activities. This marks the beginning of a major strengthening of NIEAs regulatory activities.

Organised waste crime is not unique to Northern Ireland, with the report highlighting similar concerns in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

Earlier this month, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency revealed it would be launching a new team to identify and disrupt serious organised waste crime from January 2014 (see letsrecycle.com story).

Share this article with others

Subscribe for free

Subscribe to receive our newsletters and to leave comments.

Back to top

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get the latest waste and recycling news straight to your inbox.

Subscribe