Penalties for serious waste crime getting tougher

The regulator announced yesterday (July 30) that successful prosecutions for waste crimes resulted in over £3 million in fines in 2008 – double the figure from five years before.

The figures released show that the agency prosecuted 454 waste cases last year, many of which resulted in hefty fines, and even prison sentences. Offences range from storing waste without a licence to the large scale flytipping of hazardous waste, and the illegal export of waste for disposal abroad.

The regulator attributed the success to its crackdown on activities ranging from flytipping to the illegal export of waste – which earlier this week saw it secure the largest ever fine for packaging waste offences (see letsrecycle.com story).

In the last twelve months, the Environment Agency said it had created a new National Environmental Crime Team made up of around 20 former-detectives, intelligence officers and forensics experts in order to target organised waste crime and recover the proceeds of crime.

Earlier this month, a West Midlands based metal recovery company was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay over £7,000 in prosecution costs for attempting to illegally export hazardous waste cables to China (see letsrecycle.com story).

The EA said that the container of cables never made it onto the boat, as the lorry carrying the waste to the port of Felixstowe was reported after it was spotted leaking onto the road. Tests by Environment Agency chemists found the leaking liquid contained mineral oil as well as carcinogenic coal tar. The oil was contained by absorbent booms to prevent it polluting the drains and roadside soil.

Liz Parkes, head of waste and resource management at the Environment Agency, said: “This is not about people putting rubbish in the wrong bins – we concentrate on those individuals and companies whose illegal activities have the potential to cause serious damage to the environment.

“The rules on how to handle, transport and dispose of waste are in place to protect the environment and people's health, in this country and abroad. The Environment Agency takes swift and decisive action against anyone who flouts these strict controls.

“The increase in the level of fines reflects how seriously the Environment Agency and the courts are taking waste offences.”