SEPA targets waste carriers
Environmental update 09/05/2012
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has targeted
waste carriers and waste management sites as part of a multi-agency
day of action to tackle the increasing problem of metal theft in
Scotland. The action was led by Scottish police forces and the
British Transport Police, with a large number of both public and
private organisations taking part in the operation.
SEPA's involvement in the 'Operation Fern' initiative, was to
ensure compliance with all aspects of environmental legislation
with regard to the transportation of waste metal and its
processing. This included possession of appropriate waste carriers
registrations, scrap metal dealers licensing/ exemptions and
delivering the expected duty of care.
During the day of action (on 15 March), 128 vehicles known to
transport controlled waste were targeted by SEPA. It was discovered
that 50% of the vehicles carrying controlled waste at the time of
being stopped were not registered waste carriers. Officials also
found that over 50% of the carriers, both registered and
non-registered, were not delivering the necessary duty of care.
SEPA officers also visited 19 waste management sites to measure the
level of compliance across a range of operators. After the visits,
it was concluded that the majority of sites were complying with the
necessary regulations, with only one site found to be in breach of
its licence.
Commenting on the activity, SEPA said: "Metal theft is a growing
problem in Scotland and badly affects the operations of businesses
and organisations from all sectors. Our role, as Scotland's
environmental regulator, was to target the unlicensed carrying and
processing of waste, which is a significant problem associated with
metal theft. The outcomes of Operation Fern show that there is
still a lack of understanding about the responsibilities for
organisations involved in waste carrying and management. In order
to tackle this issue, we will continue to work closely with our
partners to ensure much better compliance with legislation and
target any organisations that breach environmental
regulations."
This action by SEPA shows that it intends to ensure that
businesses manage waste properly. Businesses should be aware of
their responsibilities and take action to make sure they are
compliant.
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