Tackling fly-tipping and wider waste crime is a priority for the Government. The Government's Waste Strategy for England, published in May 2007, sets out a blueprint for increased recycling and reuse of waste, diverting waste from landfill and for preventing it in the first place. The strategy makes it clear that initiatives to boost waste prevention and recycling should be supported by fly-tipping strategies aimed at tackling the illegal dumping of waste.
The strategy includes the Government's Illegal Waste Activity Action Plan which sets out what action is being taken and proposed in this area. This includes:
(i) Reviewing legislation on the controls that are in place to deal with correct management and carriage of waste. The review aims to reduce levels of fly-tipping, make it easier for businesses to understand and comply with the regulations and make regulations easier for local authorities to use. Second consultation is planned for 2008.
(ii) Developing legislation that will give local authorities and the Environment Agency the powers to stop, search and instantly seize vehicles being used to commit fly-tipping offences. Consultation is planned for 2008.
(iii) Introducing mandatory Site Waste Management Plans for construction and demolition projects above a certain value. This is planned for completion in April 2008.
(iv) Working to better understand how small businesses and householders deal with waste and the types of awareness raising campaigns that would most effectively reach these groups and change their behaviour. This work will be carried out by March 2008.
(v) Funding the Environment Agency's targeted campaigns to disseminate good practice to businesses and raise awareness of good waste management practices.
(vi) Delivering Flycapture Enforcement, a training programme aimed at local authority officers and their legal teams to increase knowledge of the relevant legislation and to develop skills in effective enforcement and prosecution of fly-tippers.
(vii) Working with stakeholders to consider how the Flycapture database can be enhanced or improved to enable local authorities to better use data to implement fly-tipping interventions.