Unveiling Villainous Waste Offenders: The Work of the Environmental Agency
In the city of Sunderland, the Environment Agency has shut down an illegal waste transfer station operating on two allotments following complaints from local residents. The waste, including items such as tyres, refrigerators, bathtubs, and doors, was being sorted illegally collected from local house clearances.
Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Section 33), it is an offence to knowingly deposit controlled waste without an environmental permit. Prosecutions for such offences can lead to fines running into thousands or even hundreds of thousands of pounds, depending on the severity and scale of the offence.
Two men were recently prosecuted and fined a total of £6,400 for illegally dumping excavation waste without a permit. In a more severe case, a company was ordered to pay £167,500 for illegal dumping at a large site equivalent to a football pitch.
In another case, a director who stored thousands of tonnes of combustible waste illegally, exceeding permit limits, received a 16-month suspended prison sentence and was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work. The illegal storage also caused a major fire, with subsequent clean-up costs exceeding £2 million. This case involved multiple offences including breaching environmental permits and failing to comply with enforcement notices.
The Environment Agency has warned that they will take action against anyone found to be operating an illegal waste site. They have written to the landowner and those renting the allotment, warning of serious consequences if the illegal activity did not stop immediately and the site was not cleared.
Sunderland City Council's Mr Turner encourages people to ensure proper disposal of waste. He emphasizes that properly authorized businesses should be used for waste disposal when local authority services are not available. If local authority services are not used, waste should be taken away by businesses that are properly authorized to carry it.
The penalties for illegally depositing waste without an environmental permit in the UK can include substantial fines, suspended prison sentences, and court orders to pay prosecution and clean-up costs. In the Magistrates court, the maximum punishment for such offences is 12 months imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. In the Crown Court, the maximum punishment can be as much as a five year jail term or an unlimited fine.
It is important to remember that failure to comply with waste disposal regulations can lead to serious legal consequences. Anyone transporting, treating, storing, or depositing waste without the required environmental permit is breaking the law.
The Environment Agency has made it clear that they will continue to take action against illegal waste dumping to protect both the environment and public health.
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