A full consultation is expected to take place over the coming weeks on the power the new environmental enforcement agency will hold.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble, said at the beginning of the month that “a full and proper consultation” will take place early 2018 on the powers which a new post-Brexit environmental enforcement agency will hold. It was also thought that the enforcement agency will be in place before Brexit. 

Baroness Jones said “We want to have detailed consideration with stakeholders and your Lordships so that we get the right decision because we recognise that something needs to be done to fill what we acknowledge is a governance gap. I am not sure about the precise timings, but the whole purpose of an early consultation is so that we can move this forward,” the minister said in the meeting.

She further referred to the new enforcement agency as an “Environmental Enforcement Agency”, and requested answers as to when it would be established and when the public expected this to be operational.

By 2030 the UK has a recycling target of 65% to achieve. This week it has been claimed by a publication arm of Greenpeace that the UK has opposed these targets- a claim which was strongly denied by governing body Defra. 

Laws which are currently in place outline that a recycling rate of 50% must be achieved by the EU by 2020, however despite significant development this rate is still deficient. As it stands the UK recycling rate is at 44% so there is much more work and improvement to be done. 

Coca Cola today has become the latest company to make an announcement on plastics saying it is to collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle or can it sells globally by 2030.

The soft drinks company said they will “continue to focus on developing 100-percent recyclable packaging and reducing the amount of plastic in its bottles”. This was said by the company’s president, James Quincey, who will be attending the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The Crime-fighting organisation Crimestoppers has launched a campaign with SEPA asking industry and the public to “stay alert” over illegal dumping of waste in warehouses or on farms.

They encourage anyone who works in the waste industry to “play their part by speaking up anonymously about other operators who are putting profits ahead of the public’s health”. Launched last month, with a further push this week on social media asking the public to help report illegal dumping- SEPA says each incident can cost in excess of £1 million. This includes the costs of clean-up, disposal, building repairs or demolition and public services.

Subject to pending parliamentary approval, the Environment Agency (EA) will be able to lock the gates or block access to problem waste sites to prevent waste illegally building up. Potential changes in legislation will also allow the EA to force operators to clear all the waste at any problem waste site, not just the illegal waste.

This comes as today new powers which may potentially be granted to the EA to tackle the “serious problem” of waste crime were announced by the Environmental Minister. It comes in conjunction with the launch of a consultation by Defra on further action to crack-down on illegal sites which will include possible new powers for local authorities to fine householders for using illegal operators.

As a more imminent and short term solution, and subject to parliamentary approval, the Environment Agency (EA) will be able to lock the gates or block access to problem waste sites to prevent waste illegally building up. Changes will also enable the EA to force operators to clear all the waste at a problem waste site, not just the illegal waste.

The new Agency powers are to be introduced by spring 2018, subject to the parliamentary approval. This follows a public consultation in which 90% of respondents, said Defra, were in favour of allowing regulators to take physical steps to prevent operators from accepting more illegally dumped waste.

According to Defra, waste crime cost the English economy more than £600m in 2015, including lost landfill tax revenues and clean-up costs.