Environment Agency reports pilot scheme progress

Officers in the North East have stopped 16 illegal waste sites in the last three months, the Environment Agency has said.

Illegal waste sites deposit, treat or dispose of waste without the necessary permits from the Environment Agency.  To tackle the problem, the Environment Agency in the North East has piloted an intelligence-led project to crack down on illegal operators. The ‘priority offenders’ project was launched in 2010 to deal with illegal waste sites and environmental crime.

A team of specialist investigators use modern enforcement techniques to build up evidence of the people operating these sites. They get a complete picture of all illegal site operations by sharing information with the police and others before stopping activity on multiple illegal sites in one investigation.

The project has since been rolled out across the whole of England and Wales, but the Environment Agency says success has been particularly evident in the North East recently where 16 illegal sites from a total of 60 known ones have stopped in the last three months.

Kate Halka, North East Environmental Crime Team Leader for the Environment Agency, said:

“We have worked hard with our partners to crack down on illegal operators in the waste industry, and our figures show that we are getting results. It is important that we take action against these people to help legitimate operators and to ensure that waste is disposed of in the correct manner, without harming the environment.”

David Egan, a Partner at Irwin Mitchell, added:

“It is welcome to see that efforts are being made to ensure all waste operators are fully regulated and are adhering to the necessary legislation.

“However, this pilot and the volume of illegal sites in the North East demonstrates that the Agency cannot rest on its laurels in addressing the issue and preventing rogue operators from trading.

“Proactivity is key if all businesses are going to be encouraged to store and dispose of waste in the correct manner, leading to greater awareness of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and other key regulations.”