If you’ve been keeping on top of the news, you’ll have seen an influx of news reports on the ‘trash mafia’ – illegal fly-tippers operating on a large scale and targeting UK farmers, particularly those in Essex. The attention on waste crime is higher than ever, and tackling it is quickly becoming of global importance. But is the trash mafia all we have to worry about?
If you thought owning your own land would increase peace of mind and present less of a risk in terms of being a target of organised crime, it is time to think again. According to The Times, industrial scale fly-tipping is leaving Essex farmers in a constant state of anxiety, with regular lorries loaded with super-sized skips being driven into their fields come dark and spewing out compacted waste worth up to £1 billion a year.
Alongside the release of the 2017 Spring Budget, the Treasury publicised potential plans for imposing a landfill tax on illegal disposals of waste. A consultation that began on 20th March, confirmed of the Landfill Tax rate of £88.95 per tonne (for standard rate material) has already been obtained and will be brought into effect from 1st April, 2018.
Since 2013, the UK has spent over £500million each year to address this issue and support those affected. We have seen landlords and landowners fall victim to waste crime operators, councils restricted access to civic amenity sites and small businesses stretched and exploited by disposal and recycling facilities.
In a world where we produce over twenty times more plastic today than we did 50 years ago and the average UK citizen throws away their own body weight in rubbish every seven weeks, there is a growing concern for the harm that landfills can cause. As experienced environmental consultants, we share this concern and celebrate any interest in alternative, renewable energy solutions.
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