The UK’s huge problem with waste crime – the illegal and dangerous disposal of waste materials – is finally attracting some attention: see BBC News, other media and responses from bodies such as CIWM, Environment Agency etc.
A short report from the House of Lords’ Environment and Climate Change Committee estimates 38 million tonnes of waste is dealt with illegally each year, at a cost to the wider economy of £1 billion a year. One particularly hard-hitting example is from Hoads Wood near Ashford in Kent where 30,000 tonnes of mixed waste was dumped in a SSSI. Multiple agencies – the police, the Environment Agency and others – were informed, but months passed before any action was taken.
A video entitled Dumped: The Great Waste Scandal is available via the BBC News item or on BBC iPlayer. EBNet can only commend the clarity and courage of this impressive piece of reporting. The House of Lords committee is now calling for an urgent independent review.
What can EBNet do about any of this? We have no direct stake in regulation or enforcement, and many of the waste types involved are beyond our remit. But illegal dumping creates hazards demanding surveillance and remediation – a key focus for our ESWS, PFAS and Biochar Working Groups amongst others. And if we can offer effective bioprocesses that convert organic waste into value-added products, replacing fossil hydrocarbons, these materials may eventually be seen as too valuable to tip onto someone else’s land with no control or safety measures. This is the core concept for our AD and AF WGs, as described in the AF animation.
In the end, however, it comes down to the need for prioritisation and action. Too often the vital role of waste and wastewater management for a healthy and sustainable economy and society is not recognised, and Environmental Biotechnology remains an under-valued Cinderella sector.