A Manchester-based recycling firm was given a hefty £800k fine for illegally shipping 10 containers carrying 247 tonnes of waste to Poland, as revealed during a sentencing at Manchester Crown Court on March 27.
Roydon Resource Recovery Ltd was prosecuted by the Environment Agency after an investigation exposed that the waste was purposely intended for incineration as fuel, solely for the purpose of generating financial profit, without any sincere intention of recycling.
The firm’s illegal export, initially purported to be clean plastics sorted from household waste, consisted predominantly of plastics unsuitable for recycling. Additionally, the waste was heavily contaminated with various household items, including electrical appliances, nappies, and oil canisters. The firm, which operates a recycling centre at Junction Eco Park in Swinton, has been instructed to pay almost £870,000 for confiscation. The company’s Director, Wilfred Sumner, was told to pay a further £10,000 after pleading guilty to the illegal export of waste and a disregard for proper management protocols.
Emma Viner, Enforcement, and Investigations Manager at the Environment Agency, said: “Roydon Resource Recovery Ltd. and Wildred Sumner showed a disregard for the legislation in place to protect our environment and communities.
“Environment Agency officers work tirelessly to tackle this type of criminality, and the outcome of this prosecution sends a strong message to those involved in waste crime. Through our investigations and our work under the Proceeds of Crime Act, we will ensure that waste crime does not pay and that criminals will be brought to justice.
Plastics exports
The UK has emerged as a major player in the global trade of plastic waste, with a significant portion of its plastic packaging destined for recycling being shipped overseas. According to recent data from the Office for National Statistics around 568,000 metric tons of plastic waste were exported from the UK in the past year alone.
Annual UK exports of plastic waste have increased massively since the turn of the century, and even though they peaked over a decade ago, roughly half a million tons of plastic waste are still exported annually.
The primary destinations for UK plastic waste shipments have changed significantly over the past decade. Historically, China stood out as the predominant importer of UK plastic waste. However, this changed in 2017, when the Chinese government imposed restrictions on foreign waste imports due to concerns regarding contamination and pollution. Subsequently, in January 2018, China implemented its “National Sword” policy, effectively banning plastic waste imports. Consequently, UK exports of plastic waste to China have plummeted by over 95 per cent compared to their peak levels in 2011.
Since China ceased to be a viable option for plastic exports, the UK has been compelled to explore alternative destinations for its plastic waste. Initially, Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam and Malaysia stepped in to partially fill the void left by China’s ban. However, they subsequently implemented stricter restrictions to prevent a surge of illegal and contaminated shipments. Consequently, Turkey and the Netherlands have emerged as the primary destinations for UK plastic waste, collectively receiving over 40 per cent of exports in 2022.
Problems with plastic waste exports
The UK is subject to several legal obligations, both internationally and nationally, concerning the export of waste, particularly under the UN Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and Their Disposal (the Basel Convention). Amendments to the Basel Convention mandate the implementation of a Prior Informed Consent procedure for shipments of specific types of plastic waste, effective January 1, 2021. These updated regulations are applicable throughout the UK.
Despite the UK exporting plastic waste to numerous countries, it frequently ends up in regions lacking the necessary infrastructure for proper waste management. Although regulations stipulate that any plastic waste exported by the UK must undergo recycling or incineration at a waste-to-energy facility, investigations reveal that this is not always the case.
Instead, plastic waste is often illegally dumped and burned in importing nations such as Turkey, posing a significant environmental hazard. Consequently, concerns about the volume of plastic waste exported by the UK are mounting. In response to these challenges, the UK government has pledged to implement stricter controls on illegal waste exports. Additionally, plans are underway to develop more plastic processing infrastructure domestically, aiming to lessen reliance on exports. These measures form part of a broader effort to address the global issue of mismanaged plastic waste.
In November 2022, MPs from the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs Committee advocated for a ban on the export of all plastic waste from the UK by 2027. However, as of now, there is no defined roadmap or commitment in place to enact this proposal.
Nadine Osman
