Waste sector struggling with environmental regulation

According to the Environment Agency's 10th annual Spotlight report, which was launched today (Wednesday, July 23) to map the environmental performance of businesses, regulated waste firms accounted for 955 serious regulatory breaches in 2007- up from 769 in 2006 – and 159 pollution incidents – up from 124 in 2006 (see letsrecycle.com story).

And, compared to other sectors, the waste industry also had by far the largest proportion of sites (43%) which were rated in the lowest bands D and E for their operator environmental performance and the lowest number of sites which achieved grade A.

Four waste and recycling companies were also among the top 10 fines for environmental offences as a result of EA prosecutions in 2007. This includes Easco Wheelers Ltd – which has since been taken over by SITA UK (see letsrecycle.com story) – being fined £159,996 for breach of licence and Grosvenor Waste Management fined £55,000 for illegal shipment of waste and illegal waste activity (see letsrecycle.com story).

As a result, Environment Agency chief executive Dr Paul Leinster urged environmental businesses and the waste management sector to improve their performance to match efforts by the EA to streamline regulation – which has included developing quality protocols which help to define the point at which some wastes become a product, and introducing the Environmental Permitting Regulations (see letsrecycle.com story) – which is expected to save businesses £9 million alone.

He said: “We have kept our side of the bargain. Changes we have made will save businesses about £25 million a year in administration costs by 2010. But if boardrooms want us to take a lighter touch we need to see further improvements from businesses.”

With particular regard to the waste industry, he added: “It [The waste industry] needs to improve. We need to understand how we can help those sites to improve. We need to understand much better what type of sites they are.”

Challenges

Liz Parkes, head of waste at the EA, agreed that the Agency was not seeing much improvement in environmental operational performance at waste sites and added that it was smaller businesses – especially waste transfer stations and metal recycling sites – which appeared to be struggling the most.

She explained that, as a result, the Agency would be looking at ways to help businesses to comply, commenting: “We need to make sure the challenges we set for the sector are appropriate.”

Problem

Illegal waste sites were also cited as a problem by the Spotlight report, with 277 sites closed by the EA in 2007.

Going forward, the EA explained: “Our target is to identify and focus our effort on generally non-compliant sites and criminals that are seriously damaging the environment and make sure they become fully compliant or stop their activities. We are developing a range of tools to achieve this.”

Measures include the introduction of a band F in its operator performance ratings for those sites which persistently breached permit conditions and also a band A* for the very best performers.

And, the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 now lets courts confiscate the economic benefits of crime – which has already seen £1.2 million taken from illegal landfill site operator Craxford plant Hire and its director in February 2008.

Finally, the Agency report said: “If proposed new powers under the Regulatory Sanctions Bill become law, those companies that doe no wilfully harm the environment but neglect their environmental obligations may become the subject of civil sanctions.”