"The UK is now blighted with between 8,000 and 13,000 illegal waste sites. Most consist of a few lorry loads. Some contain tens of thousands of tonnes of waste, which might incorporate everything from household products to asbestos, heavy metals and highly toxic, flammable and explosive organic chemicals."
"Governments treat essential public protections as red tape that must be slashed, and regulators as checkers and blockers who must be vanquished. But ministers cannot simply delete protections from the statute books, for fear of provoking public fury."
"The result, over the past 15 years, has been to build a whole new industrial sector almost from scratch: organised waste crime. It is perhaps our most successful growth industry."
"Someone who wants their waste removed pays you a fee to cover transit, landfill tax and the gate charges at an official disposal site. But instead of taking it to a registered landfill, you dump it on farmland, on nature reserves in ancient woodlands, across country lanes or even, as in Bickershaw, near Wigan, on the green space next to a primary school."
Illegal waste dumping in the UK has reached alarming levels, with estimates of 8,000 to 13,000 illegal sites. These sites range from small loads to massive dumps containing hazardous materials. The lack of effective regulation and enforcement has allowed organized waste crime to flourish, as governments prioritize cutting costs over public safety. Criminals profit significantly by undercutting legal disposal fees, leading to widespread environmental damage and public health risks. The situation reflects a broader trend of deregulation that undermines essential protections.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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