A trend in waste trailer crime has emerged in Scotland, reports The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), after seven full trailers of waste were left abandoned across North Lanarkshire over the past few months. Investigations into the illegal disposals are ongoing, with an aim to establish and prosecute those responsible for the discarded trailers. A similar trend has been observed in England, with there being a growing number of instances in which waste has been placed into trailers and abandoned within recent months.
SEPA has been working alongside the Joint Unit for Waste Crime and the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce to monitor the trend’s growth across the UK, with the increased quantity of trailers materialising within Scotland’s borders implying there could potentially be a new disposal route for waste criminals through the country’s central belt.
In response to this growing trend, SEPA has produced a targeted response to environmental crime that has a direct impact on both local communities and the environment. Over 25 illegal sites and activities have been apprehended since the beginning of the year, due to these efforts.
Illegal waste disposal of all forms, including trailer abandonment, puts the Scottish public purse down by approximately £53 million due to clean up costs, according to research conducted by Zero Waste Scotland in 2013. In this specific instance of waste crime, vehicles and landowners who have been targeted by flytippers may also end up incurring waste removal and disposal charges.
Source: Resource
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