Environment Agency warning over illegal waste dumping

Figures recently released by the Environment Agency show that the most popular types of land used by waste criminals for dumping illegal waste were farms (34% of dumps), industrial units (24%), abandoned factories (10%) and derelict sites (7%).

They state that between December 2016 and November 2017 they investigated 18,244 bales of dumped waste, at approximately 1 ton each and with a low end price of £70 per bale this would amount to £1,277,000 for correct disposal of the waste.

Once the dumped waste is discovered landlords and property owners can be left with clean-up costs totalling several, even hundreds of, thousands of pounds. The Environment Agency have issued a reminder that it is illegal to store waste on your land without the proper permits, by allowing waste to be stored on your property you could be committing an offence and liable to prosecution.

They have been aware of several scams where people offer to pay for permission to temporarily store waste on a site, dump the waste on site and never return to collect it. They recommend that if you are approached to store baled waste, even on a short term basis, you should refuse the material and call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Owners of commercial properties should be alert when letting out property, the Environment Agency recommend that you carry out proper checks on any prospective new tenants, regularly check any empty land and property to make sure it is secure and are vigilant and report any unusual behaviour. If you are suspicious of prospective tenants you should contact the Environment Agency for more information and advice.