Crackdown on illegal waste dumping

Aug 13 2008 by Alistair Houghton, Liverpool Daily Post

THOUSANDS of Liverpool businesses are facing a crackdown on illegal dumping of waste.

Liverpool City Council wrote to 12,000 businesses this year asking them to prove they are getting rid of their commercial waste in line with the law.

More than 7,000 businesses did not respond, and council enforcement staff are now being sent to visit the companies.

Firms that cannot provide evidence they are disposing of waste in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act may face a fixed penalty notice or even prosecution.

Businesses, no matter how small, must have their waste removed by licensed operators. They cannot put it in domestic bins or take it to household waste centres such as that at Otterspool.

Now the Chamber of Commerce’s Business Crime Direct team, which has been awarded £460,000 of European Regional Development Fund money to promote cleaner ways of doing business, is offering support to businesses with trade waste problems.

Liverpool City Council’s executive member for the environment, Cllr Berni Turner, said: “All businesses must take responsibility for their own waste and make sure it is disposed of correctly.

“It’s worrying there is such a high number of companies who don’t have an agreement in place, many of whom will just dump their rubbish on the streets and expect the council tax payer to pick up the bill.”

Business Crime Direct manager Peter Jones said he believes many small firms and one-man bands are unaware of the rules and are not deliberately flouting them.

He said: “There are so many good reasons why businesses have got to get proper trade waste arrangements and recycle as much as they can – not the least of which is saving money. We can point them in the right direction.”

alistairhoughton