A complete ban on waste exports from the UK is expected to combat crime, says Sir James Bewani, chief executive of the Environment Agency. Sir James warns that regulations that allow certain types of waste to be sent abroad for recycling may stipulate “unlawful and harmful trade in waste” and the ban will complicate the illegal transport.
In a speech to the Society for Environmental Services on Tuesday, the EA chief also called for regulators to have more weapons on the scale of waste crimes, including much larger fines and longer and longer prison sentences.
Sir James warns that, six years after the “new drug” was described as a waste crime, the problem has since worsened dramatically. “All the evidence points to an increase in waste crimes,” he said at the event.
The Waste Crime Survey obtained from the National Environment Agency Survey 2021 concluded that waste crime in England was endemic.
“And we have good reason to believe that the Covid shutdown, which has made it difficult for EA and law enforcement to operate freely, has led to further growth over the past two years.”
Currently, waste shipments abroad must comply with controls that include most non-hazardous materials or must obtain approval from all relevant authorities before they can be shipped. Evidence of problems with UK waste has emerged abroad, such as burning plastic waste and dumping it in Turkey instead of being recycled, leading to restrictions by the UK government or importing countries.
Sir James said in his speech: “Sending waste abroad is legal, but isn’t it? Is it morally right to dump our waste in another country?”
“As more and more countries refuse to bring in our waste, how sustainable is this as a business model for those currently exporting from the UK?” And does the current legal framework do what it wants to do, which is protect people and the environment from harm, if it really covers trafficking in illegal and harmful waste? “
The 2018 Government Resources and Waste Strategy reflects the UK’s goal of treating more waste at home, and with an updated strategy next year it could be a great opportunity to send a strong signal for a complete halt to exports, sir. Giacomo says.
“I think we have to challenge ourselves to take a position where we treat all the waste at home and finish exporting the waste as quickly as possible,” he added.
He will say the UK has the knowledge to recycle all waste at home, and this will lead to more recycling, more innovation and new business in the UK, even for companies currently exporting legally. EA also supports government efforts to disrupt ways to exploit the existing criminal system, such as stepping up background checks and permits, he says.
The letter calls for more funding from confiscated criminal assets to combat waste crime, and the agency could use some of the proceeds from regulating the legitimate waste industry to tackle criminal activity.
Our policy now is to try to stop unnecessary crimes before they happen. One of the best ways to do this is to calculate the chances of criminals imposing tougher fines on them if caught.
“We want to see much larger fines – many serious offenders now consider it a business expense – and greater use of criminal asset forfeiture. But we especially want to see more and more long-term prisons, which are really focused on the criminal mind,” he said.
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Source: Belfastlive
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
