5th of all waste in the UK handled illegally says the Environment Agency (EA)

The EA’s annual report was released earlier this month on its regulatory activity. The report revealed that in 2021 alone the EA closed more than 550 illegal waste sites and uncovered almost 450 new waste management sites.

The report expressed the “endemic” that is waste crime in the UK, finding that a fifth of UK waste is handled illegally at some point in its life cycle. The report stated that “the more we look for incidents of non-compliance, the more waste crime we find.”

This is despite the report outlining the Environment Agencies goal of cutting waste crime in a bid to create a more circular waste and recycling industry.

Currently the EA estimates that waste crime costs the UK economy £924m per year with 18% of waste handled illegally at some point. This is equivalent to 34 million tonnes of waste per annum, and with just 25% of waste crimes reported, there is still a way to go before meeting the “audacious ambition” of eliminating waste crime all together.

Since adopting a new strategy in 2021, the EA have taken on “more proactive and preventive activities aimed at targeting the criminals and deterring future offenders.”

In the Environment Agencies waste crime summary data release at the end of March 2022 it was found that the number of illegal waste sites was at record lows since 2009 with 419 active waste sites.

Waste crime, taking many forms, is described as “fly-tipping, illegal dumping or burning of waste, deliberate mis- description of waste, operation of illegal waste management sites, and illegal waste export”.

Waste crime also includes the misrepresentation of waste, selling or purchasing illegitimate Packaging Recovery Notes (PRNs) or Packaging Export Recovery Notes (PERNs), as well as other associated crimes such as human trafficking and forced labour.

How is Clarity supporting the EA?

In early 2021 we recognised the impact that the shortfall of regulation was having, and the risk this presents to the waste and recycling industry.

In recognition of the EA’s call to attention to the fraud and human rights violations in the industry, we set out to develop a quality standard that mitigates risk for our packaging compliance scheme members and supports and promotes responsible recyclers.

Clarity’s Recycling Evidence Quality Standard (CREQS) is our three-stage annual assurance programme which evaluates the quality of recycling that takes place and ensures that both input waste is obligated and that actual recycling to end-of-waste takes place.

CREQS also works to drive out bad practice in the industry such as human trafficking and modern slavery by ensuring each Clarity supplier has clear human rights policies and evidence of fair treatment of their employees.

Our quality standard promotes the building of strategic partnerships, allowing us to prioritise and support the companies whose values reflect our own.

Recycling Quality Manager at Clarity Environmental, Megan Scott commented:

“The absence of a quality indicator for PRNs/PERNs and the recycling industry in general not only restricts customers from being able to choose responsible routes, but it also costs the economy and the people that pay into it significantly. As well as offering additional protection for our packaging scheme members, CREQS strives for positive change in the industry.”

“Underpinning all we do at Clarity, CREQS is crucial to a more robust, fair and circular waste and recycling industry.”