Environment Agency to Pay Millions in Landfill Tax During Illegal Waste Site Cleanup
A massive illegal waste dump in Bickershaw, Wigan, is costing the environment Agency (EA) millions of pounds, including landfill tax, for its cleanup. The estimated total cost is £4.5m. The situation has sparked outrage from local residents and a labor MP, who criticize the delayed response to the escalating problem.
Residents report suffering from severe issues stemming from the “thousands of tonnes” of illegally dumped household waste, including infestations of rats in attics and walls, unpleasant smells, and swarms of flies. One resident stated, “This is a serious environmental and public health failure.” A fire at the site in July raged for nine days, forcing a local school to close and residents to remain indoors due to toxic fumes.
Concerns were initially raised in January when waste began arriving at a rate of 20 truckloads per day, according to Labour MP for Makerfield, Yvonne Simons, who alerted the EA at the time. She expressed frustration that no intervention occurred. “The impact of this blatant criminality continues to be very severe on the community in bickershaw,” Simons said. “From lost days of school when the pile caught fire to closed windows on blisteringly hot days, they shouldn’t have to put up with this.”
The issue highlights the profitability of waste crime for organized criminal groups, who can exploit the £126 per tonne landfill tax. By illegally dumping waste and avoiding these fees, criminals can profit approximately £2,500 per articulated lorryload.
Local councilor, James Russell, criticized the EA being required to pay the landfill tax as a sign of ”a complete lack of joined-up government,” allowing criminals to profit while residents suffer. He called for full transparency from the EA regarding the scale of illegal dumping, stating, “We cannot effectively fight that which we do not know. More than numbers, we require location, sizes, types of waste and what action is being taken to clear up these tremendous, huge waste piles.”
The EA confirmed a criminal examination is ongoing, treating the dumping as a “critical incident.” an EA spokesperson stated they are “using all the powers and the enforcement tools available to us to bring the perpetrators to justice and make them pay for this offense,” and that the impact on the local community is “at the forefront or our minds.”
Wigan council is collaborating with the EA and Greater Manchester Police in a multiagency partnership to prevent further illegal activity and minimize the impact on residents. The council acknowledged the site’s impact on the community and expressed a desire for urgent cleanup, but noted the “legal and financial landscape for clearing illegal waste sites is complex.”
Waste crime is estimated to cost the UK taxpayer £1bn annually.
