07/12/2005 - The Environment Agency is set to receive a £4 million boost to help tackle waste crime and cut the amount of materials that businesses waste, under funding announced by government today (Wednesday).

Martin Brocklehurst, Head of Waste Strategy at the Environment Agency said: "We welcome the funding which is crucial to the continuing success of our work to tackle waste crimes such as fly-tipping. We’ll also be working together with WRAP on a new project to help businesses recycle and recover their waste more effectively."

The funding comes from Defra’s Business Resource Efficiency and Waste programme, which is money earned through the increases in landfill tax.

The funding for the Environment Agency has been allocated to three initiatives:

2 million to tackle waste crime
1 million, working with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), to develop clear guidance on how to recycle and recover key types of waste for reuse.
1.75 to further develop the small business environmental legislation website Netregs www.netregs.gov.uk
Last year the Environment Agency was awarded £2 million through the BREW project to tackle waste crime. The funding has been successfully used to:

Develop a public search facility of registered waste carriers so people can now check that their waste carriers are legally registered www.environment-agency.gov.uk/publicregister
Set up three targeted enforcement campaigns in Preston Stoke and Luton to combat flytipping. This has included roadside checks, surveillance techniques and high profile media work.
Produce advice for business in a range of languages including Bengali and Urdu.
Martin Brocklehurst continued "By using resources more efficiently and knowing how they can recycle and recover waste, businesses can cut down the amount they need to send to landfill. The new funding will enable us to work with specific business sectors to help them reduce waste which will not only be better for the environment but makes good business sense too. The funding will also allow us to extend our targeted projects to tackle waste crime throughout a wider area."

Liz Goodwin, WRAP’s Director of Materials, said:

"The joint project between the Environment Agency and WRAP provides the opportunity to address some of the important issues around the definition of recovery of waste. The aim of this work is to open up more recycling routes for the wastes created by UK business and improving the economics of recycling throughout the supply chain."

END

Notes to editors

In 2006/07 Defra’s BREW programme will award £90 million. For further information see www.defra.gov.uk/enviornment/waste/brew

BREW funding is specific to England. In Wales allocations will be made by the Welsh Assembly Government through the Materials Action Programme (MAP).