Waste carriers surprised by need to register with Environment Agency Wales

Waste carriers' licences were checked at Crosshands in Carmarthenshire, Haverfordwest, Miskin, Coldra and the St Asaph area. With police assistance, lorries and vans were stopped and checks were made that the driver had the appropriate documents. If documentation was not available, a notice was served requiring the documents to be produced at an Environment Agency office within seven days. Failure to do so can result in a fine of up to 2000.

Despite extensive efforts by the Agency in Wales to ensure that carriers of waste are aware that they need to be registered with the Agency before they can operate, illegal operators are using the excuse that they are not aware of this requirement.

Selby Le Roux, an Agency environment protection enforcement team leader said: “A total of 22 notices were served across all the sites which demonstrates the large number of people involved in carrying waste. A surprising number are still unaware that they need to be registered as waste carriers if they are disposing of waste on behalf of others.

“People need to think carefully about the material they are carrying and whether it is likely to be considered waste. If it is, then they need to be registered as waste carriers or find an alternative route for disposal of that waste. If in doubt they should contact the nearest Environment Agency office for advice”.

Operation Mermaid is a regular event co-ordinated by the Police which involves roadside checks on vehicles by a number of enforcement agencies such as the RSPCA, Trading Standards, HM Customs and Excise, the Benefits Agency, and the Vehicle Inspectorate.

An Agency spokesman explained: “Under environmental legislation, a carrier of controlled waste is required to obtain a registration certificate from the Agency, except in a small number of cases where they are exempt from the requirement to register. Controlled waste covers most types of waste including the less obvious types such as hard core, construction and demolition waste, subsoil, scrap metal and garden prunings. Registration, which costs 117 and lasts for three years, enables the Agency to keep track of the ways in which waste is being disposed of.”