CIWM pushes back against the Circular Economy Minister’s statement that the government inherited ‘a whole system failure in the waste industry’.
Speaking during a debate in Parliament, the minister, Mary Creagh, said the government ‘inherited a whole system failure in the waste industry, from end to end, with failures at every level. That is why there has been an epidemic of illegal fly-tipping’.
The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) challenged the minister’s comments, saying they misrepresented the legitimate waste industry and deflected blame away from the perpetrators of waste crime.
Creagh was responding to a question from Calum Miller, Liberal Democrat MP for Bicester and Woodstock, on a recent high-profile fly-tipping incident in their constituency.
The mountain of waste, which is approximately 150 metres long, 10 metres wide and up to 12 metres high, has been dumped over several months on a site between the River Cherwell and the A34 near Kidlington.
In an open letter signed by CIWM CEO Sarah Poulter, the organisation said: “It is not the sector or waste industry that is failing, but arguably a systemic failure over time of regulation and effective enforcement that is leading to incidents such as this occurring regularly, at scale and often in plain sight.”
“Our members and the wider professional resources and waste sector work tirelessly to deliver services that protect human health and the environment, and that enable local economies to thrive. CIWM strives to further raise standards through training, accreditation, skills and professional development in this vital sector.”
It is not the sector or waste industry that is failing, but arguably a systemic failure over time of regulation and effective enforcement…
Seeking to clarify Creagh’s comments, a spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra), told Circular Online: “This government values the hard work of the waste management industry in supporting our shared ambition to transition to a circular economy.”
“Their important work is undermined by the activities of waste criminals, who harm the environment, economy and communities. We are committed to tackling this criminality and delivering much-needed reform to the system as a whole.”
CIWM said it would be pleased to explore practical measures that the government can quickly act upon to reduce the risk of waste crime.
The open letter continued: “Only an effective regulatory framework, enabling focused regulation and enforcement to drive out waste criminals, will enable the professional waste sector to continue the required investment in valued waste services, infrastructure and jobs.”
Practical measures CIWM recommends include ensuring regulation and enforcement are properly resourced, including better training of regulators and more effective coordination between agencies.
CIWM also called for urgent changes to Treasury rules that prevent the Environment Agency from using funding generated by permitting and regulatory work on enforcement capacity to tackle waste crime.
The final measure was for the government to continue to implement the Resources and Waste Strategy, including the accelerated introduction of Digital Waste Tracking and new waste controllers and transporters regulations.