Over 31% of fly-tips dealt with by the Environment Agency involve construction related waste (21% construction, demolition and excavation waste and 10% asbestos)
Do you know the difference between littering and fly-tipping?
Environment Agency warns that businesses caught breaching waste rules will face increasingly tough penalties – report by James Murray, Business Green Publication
Firms caught breaching waste regulations can expect increasingly tough financial and even custodial penalties, according to new data released today confirming that the Environment Agency's crackdown on waste crimes appears to be working.
The figures show that during 2008/09 the Environment Agency secured more than £525,204 in fines relating to serious waste offences such as illegal dumping and large-scale fly tipping. A significant increase compared to the 2007/08 figure of £425,000.
In addition, the average fine more than doubled to £6,000, while eight offenders received custodial sentences.
"The increase in the level of fines reflects how seriously the Environment Agency is pursuing people who dump waste and the dim view that the courts hold of this crime," said Liz Parkes, head of waste and resource management at the Environment Agency.
"This is not about people putting rubbish out on the wrong day, or in the wrong bins. We concentrate on those individuals and companies whose illegal activities have the potential to cause serious damage to the environment and human health."
There were also signs that the Environment Agency's crackdown on waste crimes - which began in 2008 with the launch of a dedicated National Environmental Crime Unit staffed by former detectives - has been successful, with the number of illegal waste-dumping incidents falling by around four per cent.
In addition to a drop in serious waste crimes, the figures also revealed that the occurrence of lowlevel fly tipping fell 9.3 per cent last year to 1.16 million incidents.
Environment minister Huw Irranca-Davies welcomed the improvement, but said that the issue was still costing local authorities £54.9m a year and presented an "unacceptable… stain on our environment".
The government is currently reviewing legislation designed to make it easier for businesses to dispose of their waste correctly and is planning a series of campaigns to make it clear to firms how they should dispose of waste.