The Environmental Agency is proposing updated waste charges to tackle waste crime in England, which costs the economy £1 billion in damages yearly. A ten-week consultation on the proposals opened this week, with the EA calling for those in the waste, water and farming sectors to submit their responses. 

The EA is consulting on four key proposals:

• A waste levy which will enable the Environment Agency to increase waste enforcement activity by around 30%.
• New and updated hourly rates to ensure we can continue to recover the costs of regulatory activities.
• A waste fee for intervention to recover the cost of regulation where operators lack authorisation.
• Registration and compliance charges for waste exemptions. For farmers, we are proposing a reduced compliance charge for a set of 15 common on-farm waste exemptions.

The proposed changes will be implemented from April 2025. The EA hopes this will protect “legitimate private landowners and rural businesses” from the costs of illegally dumped waste. 

The EA’s deputy director of waste and resources regulation, Steve Molyneux said: “Waste exemption abuse across industry sectors, increasing costs of regulation and illegal waste activity, is making it harder to meet the cost of these challenges. Our proposals will see more investment in our services, which is crucial in protecting legitimate businesses, tackling waste crime and reducing environmental damage.”

The consultation runs from 11 November 2024 until midnight on 20 January 2025.