Waste cowboys face tough crackdown after 500ft rubbish mountain sparks outrage

Waste cowboys who dump rubbish illegally face a tough crackdown under laws being laid this week.

A new permit-based system will from 2027 require waste handlers to undergo identity, criminal record and technical checks before receiving a permit. They will also need to display their permit number in advertising, including on their vans, making it easier for the public to report unlicensed operators.

Operators found to be mishandling waste will face up to five years in jail under the new rules, ministers said. The Environment Agency will also be handed stronger powers to revoke permits and issue enforcement notices.

Campaigners last month exposed the poor licence system after a cow was legally approved to dispose of household waste. Ann Maidment, the director of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), applied for the licence with the Environment Agency (EA) for Beau Vine, one of her cows.

In the current system, waste carriers only need to register their information with the EA through a basic paper-based process, undergoing limited identity and background checks. Ministers say this means both organised criminals and “rogue operators” who dump waste ineffectively and leave large clean-up bills can enter the system.

The new laws are underpinned by the Government’s recently announced waste crime action plan, which sets out a range of measures to tackle waste crime. Official figures show fly-tipping on public land increased by 9% last year. And massive illegal waste sites such as a 500ft long mountain of rubbish near the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire have prompted public outrage.

The illegal tip, found just off the A34 in Kidlington is the ugly manifestation of years of dumping, with up to 21,000 tonnes of waste infuriating locals, who called in the EA to extract it. The agency said in a statement that it shared the local anger, branding it "an atrocious and deliberate attack on our environment".

Waste Minister Mary Creagh said: “Waste cowboys have abused the system for too long, blighting our countryside and cities alike. Through our Waste Crime Action Plan, we're introducing rigorous background checks for waste traders, shutting down corrupt operators and kicking them out of the industry for good.

"This is just one measure we’re introducing to stamp out waste crime, with law breakers now facing up to five years behind bars thanks to tougher penalties.”

Philip Duffy, Chief Executive at the Environment Agency, said: "Waste crime is evolving, but so are we. These reforms give us the tools we need to fight back. With stronger powers to revoke permits and issue enforcement notices, we will move faster to shut down rogue operators and protect communities from the damage waste crime causes."

The Environment Agency will consult on these fees in the next few months, officials added.