The Environment Agency (EA) is required to pay millions of pounds in landfill tax when clearing illegal waste dumps across England, a policy described as 'extremely unhelpful' by critics. Of the £15m allocated for cleaning up Hoad's Wood in Kent—the only site the agency has committed to clearing—£4m is landfill tax, according to an exclusive report.
Liberal Democrat peer John Russell, who helped push for the Hoad's Wood cleanup, called the situation 'ludicrous' and urged the Treasury to review the regulations. The tax is seen as a deterrent to clearing thousands of illegal dump sites nationwide.
In Wigan, MP Josh Simons has been calling for the EA to remove 25,000 tonnes of rubbish dumped by criminals near a primary school on Bolton House Road. The agency is refusing to clear the waste despite environmental hazards including rat infestations, air pollution, and a stench. A fire in July forced the school to close for nine days.
One parent said: 'My kids have to go to school every day with that stench and air pollution and they cannot play outside on the field any more.' The cleanup cost is estimated at £4.5m, including landfill tax. Another resident described the situation as a 'serious environmental and public health failure.'
Organised crime groups are drawn to waste crime due to the £126 per tonne landfill tax, allowing them to make £2,500 per lorryload by dumping illegally. Russell called for full transparency from the EA on the scale of illegal dumping, saying: 'We cannot effectively fight that which we do not know.'
An EA spokesperson said a criminal investigation is ongoing in Wigan and the agency is using all enforcement tools to bring perpetrators to justice.
