New publications this month:

DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS (DEFRA)

Environment Bill: Environmental Targets

A policy paper has been published, providing guidance on how legally binding environmental targets will be developed and applied under the Environment Bill and what these targets will concern.

Resources and waste strategy for England: monitoring and evaluation

This new framework sets out indicators to be used to monitor the implementation of the resources and waste strategy for England and evaluating its impacts.

Invasive non-native (alien) animal species: rules in England and Wales

Guidance has been published for persons who find, own or look after listed invasive non-native (alien) animals in England or Wales.

These animals are listed within this guidance.

ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

Environmental permitting charges guidance

This guidance has been updated to reflect the purpose of the pre-application advice and what is included or excluded under the free pre-application advice service.

Regulatory Position Statements (RPSs)

The following new RPSs were published during August 2020. These permit specified activities to be undertaken without an environmental permit:

• Treating microbiological laboratory waste on the site where it is produced: RPS 233
• Recycling target for glass in display screen equipment: RPS 242

ANIMAL & PLANT HEATH AGENCY (APHA)

APHA animal disease alert subscription service

A new subscription is offered, providing alerts for exotic notifiable animal diseases in Great Britain.

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY (BEIS)

Meeting climate change requirements from 1 January 2021

Guidance is provided on climate change regulations, emissions trading, energy using products and ecodesign and energy labelling and how these will be affected by the end of the post-Brexit transition period.

The guidance has been updated to reflect a European Commission notice identifying technical issues associated with the end of the transition period. This includes details of access to EU ETS accounts.

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT

Coronavirus (COVID-19): addendum to guidance on duration of building warrant

Guidance is provided on extended building warrants as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

WELSH GOVERNMENT

Clean Air Plan for Wales: Healthy Air, Healthy Wales

This plan sets out the Welsh Government’s actions to reduce the impacts of air pollution. This includes the implementation of a Clean Air Act for Wales and a clear process to determine Best Available Techniques (BAT) for industrial emissions.

Environment (Wales) Act 2016: biodiversity and resilience of ecosystems

Guidance is provided on public authorities’ duty to maintain and enhance biodiversity, and promote ecosystem resilience under the Environment (Wales) Act 2016.

Flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy

An updated version of this strategy was published during August 2020.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMENT & RURAL AFFAIRS (DAERA)

Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) (IE) Charging Scheme 2020

An updated charging scheme for PPC (industrial emissions) activities in Northern Ireland has been published.

EU Emissions Trading Fees and Charges 2020

An updated charging scheme for EU ETS activities in Northern Ireland has been published.

How to report Water Pollution, or a Cross-Compliance incident of damage to the environment or countryside

Guidance is provided to the general public on reporting water pollution incidents or cross-compliance incidents of damage to the environment or countryside.

Enforcement Undertaking for tech firm from Brentford

A computer support company in Brentford that failed to meet its obligations regarding packaging has paid money to charity to help fund several thousand new trees.

EMC Computer Systems (UK) Ltd failed to register the packaging waste it produced between 2002 and 2003 and from 2008 to 2015.

Companies with a turnover above £2 million, handling more than 50 tonnes of packaging in the previous calendar year, must register with an accredited compliance scheme, and recover and recycle packaging waste.

The Environment Agency dealt with EMC’s failure to comply with the law through a civil sanction called an enforcement undertaking, instead of a prosecution. To qualify, offenders must improve practices to avoid similar breaches, while making a financial contribution to a relevant project.

Enforcement Undertaking

An enforcement undertaking for £8,759.31 will be paid to Trees for Cities, which works across the UK and overseas to improve lives by planting trees in cities.

Illegal waste site in Lancashire raided

On 18 August 2020, the Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC) conducted a successful raid on an illegal waste site in Lancashire.

JUWC Enforcement Officers and Lancashire Police raided the site in Great Harwood near Blackburn, which is operated by two skip hire firms.

It is alleged that illegal waste activities are being carried out on the site, including the handling and storage of scrap metal, the landfilling of mixed waste, and illegal burning.

Enforcement officers gathered evidence of a large-scale waste operation. An estimated 50,000 tonnes of waste had been landfilled at the site and a number of skips containing mixed household and business waste were observed.

A previous order to cease waste operations on the site was ignored. A JUWC spokesperson said that “We will continue to take action against the operators of this site until the activity has ceased or is being carried out in compliance with the law.”

Everybody has a legal duty to ensure the waste they produce is taken away by registered waste carriers and that waste is only taken to authorised sites for treatment or disposal.

Illegal waste operator in south west Wales convicted

Natural Resources Wales (NRW), acting in partnership with Dyfed-Powys Police, has successfully prosecuted a man for operating an illegal waste site in south west Wales.

The man admitted the offences  and was charged with operating an illegal waste facility and disposing of waste at that facility in a manner likely to cause pollution to the environment and human health.

The man had been operating a household clearance and rubbish removal service across the Ammanford, Neath, Port Talbot and Llanelli areas. Waste collected was being brought back to a site in Brynamman, Ammanford to dispose of it illegally. The waste was being tipped and burnt at this location.

The NRW investigation commenced in June 2019 reports were received of the illegal waste operation.

Penalty

The man received a 12 month community order with 200 hours unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay costs in full of £6,709 and a victim surcharge of £85.