DEFRA announces new powers aimed at reducing waste crime

DEFRA has announced a tranche of new powers and guidance changes in a bid to tackle waste crime.

After running a wide-ranging consultation in January, the department has laid out plans to strengthen the Environment Agency’s (EA) powers for assessing operator competence. It will demand that waste firms demonstrate technical knowledge of their waste sites and has introduced new fines for householders who fail on their duty of care requirements.