The Environment Agency acknowledged a significant risk of failing to meet its goal of reducing the number of illegal waste sites.
The Environment Agency’s recently published (18 December) corporate performance scorecard for the first quarter of 2023-24 marked this area with a ‘red’ risk rating, indicating the most critical category for reducing high-risk illegal waste sites. The agency aimed to decrease these sites to 164 but counted 167, with a yearly target set at 151. Similar challenges were faced last April, with 190 illegal sites against a target of 180.
The Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for serious environmental incidents primarily focuses on funded activities, permitted operations, and regulatory compliance while keeping an eye on incidents from other sources. Notably, serious environmental incidents from permitted sources have remained consistent, ranging between 130 and 160 per year.
Among these incidents, the highest numbers in the last decade have stemmed from metals recycling and non-hazardous waste treatment within the past 12 months. Additionally, other permitted sectors, including the service sector, biowaste use, domestic and residential, transport, illegal waste management, as well as natural sources and unidentified sources, have individually contributed relatively fewer incidents in recent years.
The corporate report outlines their performance against environmental and business aims, shared regularly with executive directors and the board. The Environment Agency’s scorecard allows monitoring of their progress aligned with their action plan, also shared with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Sources
scorecard-summary-2023-to-2024-quarter-one
