Waste: Exports
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure companies that have previously committed waste export offences remain subject to enhanced monitoring and compliance checks.
Answered by Mary Creagh
The Environment Agency (EA) ensures that companies with a history of waste export offences remain subject to enhanced monitoring and compliance checks. This is done through an intelligence‑led, risk‑based approach to compliance and enforcement. Previous offences and overall compliance history are central to determining the level of scrutiny applied, meaning operators with past breaches will receive closer oversight.
The EA assesses the seriousness of each offence by considering factors such as the level of environmental harm or risk, the culpability of the operator, and any financial gain or involvement in organised crime. The EA considers wider public interest, including the need to deter future offending. This comprehensive assessment is then used to prioritise higher‑risk operators, specific waste types, and export destinations for targeted compliance activity.
As a result, companies with a poor track record are subject to more frequent and robust regulatory interventions, while compliant businesses can operate without unnecessary regulatory burden.
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