Sally-Ann Hart, the MP for Hastings and Rye, has welcomed the newly announced government plans to tackle fly-tipping and illegal waste.
As part of wider plans to reform the waste industry, the government has set out proposals in two new consultations that will clamp down on waste crime and support people and businesses to manage waste correctly.
Proposals include background checks for firms who move or trade waste, as well as making it easier for regulators across the UK to take action against rogue operators. The government is also planning to introduce mandatory digital waste tracking, which will enable regulators to better detect illegal activity and tackle waste crime, including fly-tipping, illegal waste sites, and illegal waste exports.
Commenting on the proposals, Sally-Ann Hart said; "Criminals across the country, including here in Hastings and Rye, profit from illegally dumping waste in local gateways, lay-bys, lanes, and on farmland. Enough is enough. Tackling waste crime is a priority for me and I welcome any measures that will allow waste to be tracked back to its source and those involved in illegal waste activities to feel the full force of the law."
Between 2017 and 2020, extra powers given to the Environment Agency stopped illegal waste activity at 2,700 sites while the new Joint Unit for Waste Crime has been successful in disrupting criminal gangs and successfully prosecuting fly-tippers for illegally dumping hundreds of tonnes of hazardous waste across the countryside.
