A joint operation by the Environment Agency and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) aims to cut transportation of illegal waste and improve road safety in England.
After signing a Memorandum of Understanding in September, both agencies hope this new agreement will punish non-compliant drivers and their vehicles. The agencies will share information with each other, to improve vehicle and driver safety standards and make roadside enforcement on waste carriers more co-ordinated.
Their combined enforcement powers will ensure companies are meeting their legal requirements, and challenge waste being moved to poorly performing or illegal sites. For the first time, tackling waste crime will be more efficient, as both organisations will be using prevention tactics and intervening earlier in the waste chain.
Speaking to the staff of both agencies after the agreement was signed in London, Sir James Bevan, chief executive of the Environment Agency, stated that one of the main aims of the agreement is to protect people and their communities from how much influence waste and vehicle crime can have on them. DVSA’s chief executive, Gareth Llewellyn, hopes this new intelligence-sharing initiative will help to meet DVSA’s goal to protect the public from unsafe drivers and their vehicles as they will be able to work with rule-breakers more effectively.
With waste crime costing businesses and taxpayers £1bn per annum, unsafe operators should be reported to the DVSA to reduce this figure. In addition, the Environment Agency is encouraging businesses to check with them if the firm they employ to take their waste away is a fully registered waste carrier.
