The Environment Agency is encouraging the waste, water and
farming sectors to have their say on charges associated with
waste activities.
The 10-week consultation proposes to introduce new regulatory
charges for specific waste activities as well as updating
existing charging regimes from April 2025.
The Environment Agency is consulting on four key proposals:
-
A waste levy which will enable the Environment Agency to
increase waste enforcement activity by around 30%.
-
New and updated hourly rates to ensure we can continue to
recover the costs of regulatory activities.
-
A waste fee for intervention to recover the cost of
regulation where operators lack authorisation.
-
Registration and compliance charges for waste exemptions. For
farmers, we are proposing a reduced compliance charge for a
set of 15 common on-farm waste exemptions.
England's waste management industry generates nearly £7 billion
annually, but organised criminals are becoming increasingly drawn
to illegal waste activities which cause over £1 billion in
damages each year, undercutting legitimate businesses.
The needs of the legitimate sector have also grown in recent
years, making it necessary to review the service charges to
ensure the Environment Agency can continue to deliver a robust
and efficient regulatory service.
Proposals in this consultation will fund more regulatory work to
target waste crime and the revenue generated through charges will
support stronger enforcement, better customer support, improved
digital systems and clearer guidance.
Illegally-dumped waste can impose significant costs on legitimate
private landowners and rural businesses. The Environment Agency
is committed to working closely with these groups to tackle the
impacts of waste crime.
Steve Molyneux, Deputy Director of Waste and Resources
Regulation at the Environment Agency, said:
It's our job to be fair and transparent with the businesses we
regulate for the work we do.
Waste exemption abuse across industry sectors, increasing costs
of regulation and illegal waste activity, is making it harder to
meet the cost of these challenges.
Our proposals will see more investment in our services, which is
crucial in protecting legitimate businesses, tackling waste crime
and reducing environmental damage. We encourage interested
parties to respond to help shape the future of their industry.
This consultation runs from 11 November 2024 until midnight
on 20 January 2025.
It can be accessed directly online.
