Waste Crime Costs UK £560 Million A Year

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• Waste Crime Costs UK £560 Million A Year

15 December 2017 | Updated 01 January 1970

In October, the government said fly tipping and simple littering was costing the country £560 million a year. Since then, both the Local Government Association and thos in the waste business have responded.

Cllr Martin Tett, the LGA’s Environment spokesman, said:  “Litter and fly-tipping is environmental vandalism – it’s unpleasant, unnecessary and unacceptable. Not only does fly-tipping create an eyesore for residents, it is also a serious public health risk, creating pollution and attracting rats and other vermin.

“Clearing up fly-tipping is costing councils a fortune – money that could be spent on other services, like caring for the elderly, protecting children or tackling homelessness. It is unacceptable that they are having to spend vast amounts each year tackling this scourge.  “The Government has responded to our call for councils to be able to apply Fixed Penalty Notices for small scale fly-tipping – and this is a big step in the right direction. When they take offenders to court, councils need a faster and more effective legal system which means fly-tippers are given hard-hitting fines for more serious offences.

"Manufacturers also need to provide more take-back services so people can hand in old furniture and mattresses when they buy new ones.”

See it, report it

With waste crime continuing to rise, waste management company WCRS has put its support behind efforts to spot and report the offence by promoting advice from the Environmental Services Authority (ESA) on how to report waste crime wherever it is found in the UK.

“Waste crime is now sadly endemic in our country, and we all have a duty of care and responsibility to dispose of waste compliantly,” said Robert Logan, MD of WCRS.

“It is important that facilities managers and businesses as a whole partner with a reliable, compliant and experienced waste management provider, fully committed to the circular economy, carrying the correct and appropriate licences and able to provide full traceability and compliance along every step of the process.”

Local authorities are cracking down heavily on waste crime, with on-the-spot fines for fly tipping (totalling around £750,000 in one year, in England alone) and by pursuing prosecutions for those ‘waste owners’ who allowed their waste to be dumped illegally.

“Tackling waste crime is a big challenge, which will take a joint effort from waste management companies and by businesses and the general public remaining vigilant and reporting waste crime when they see it,” continued Logan who advises distributing the following link.

http://www.esauk.org/waste_crime/

Picture: Spot waste crime, report waste crime

Article written by Cathryn Ellis | Published 15 December 2017

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