Amanda Milling, Member of Parliament for Cannock Chase, has welcomed the new proposed powers for the Environment Agency that are intended to help fight waste crime and tackle illegal waste sites.
Following the Slitting Mill waste fire, the Cannock Chase MP has been working with both Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Environment Agency to identify legal loopholes and missing agency powers which allow illegal waste sites to accumulate so much waste.
The new powers will allow the Environment Agency to block access to waste sites, preventing waste from entering or exiting a site. The Agency can also require an operator to clear all waste from a site, as opposed to just illegal waste. The new powers to help the Environment Agency to tackle problem waste sites will be introduced by spring 2018, subject to parliamentary approval. According to the Cannock Chase MP, these powers will help tackle the war on waste crime.
Amanda Milling said: “The war against illegal waste sites is not confined to Cannock Chase and as we saw with the Slitting Mill Fire, illegal waste presents a significant fire risk. The measures that are being introduced will give the Environment Agency new powers to continue the fight against illegal waste and are a positive step forward.”
The Government has also launched a consultation asking for views on a new range of measures. Proposals include raising the bar required to hold Environment Agency waste permits, and putting a stop to criminals hiding their illegal activities by requiring them to register low-risk waste operations, which are currently exempt from the need to hold a permit.
Amanda Milling added: “The proposals to further restrict access to waste permits will also help prevent rogue waste sites from passing off as licensed sites. I think these changes are the right way forward and I am very pleased that the government is taking action to tackle it. It is absolutely right that we do everything we can to stop the activities of waste sites that operate outside the law.”