Since Blue Planet II there has been increasing awareness of the amount of plastic we use and it littering our land, rivers and seas but I doubt many people have thought about the plastics that are used on farms being illegally exported to countries all over the world! I certainly hadn’t until I joined the Environment Agency’s (EA) newly established Plastics and Sustainability team in 2018 inspiring positive behaviour change within the agricultural sector.
EA Chair Emma Howard Boyd discusses energy from waste permits and the scrutiny applied to new incinerators
The United Kingdom generates over 200 million tonnes of waste per year, but the data gathered about what exactly is generated, how much, and the journey from initial collection to its final destination is limited. Different systems for reporting across …
Waste crime damages and destroys. I’ve seen the effects up and down the country. If you’ve ever lived near an illegal waste site, I don’t need to remind you how horrendous an experience it is. They affect people’s health, wellbeing …
It’s getting to the time of year when we think about having the ‘Big Spring Clean’. The box room, shed, and garage are all earmarked for a deep cleanse, getting rid of those old kid’s toys, ill-advised sofa, and a …
Landfill tax continues to fulfil its primary objective of encouraging environmentally positive behaviour. As a fiscal tool it is working well. Landfill is down 60% since its introduction, and the Landfill Communities Fund has provided £1.5bn to environmental bodies. But …
Waste is an issue for all of us. We all create it and that means we are all responsible for what happens to it. Waste needs to be dealt with in the safest way possible. Even as householders, we have …
I am a Project Officer for West Cumbria Rivers Trust and I've been working on the Ellenwise partnership project for nearly a year now. The project aims to reduce pollution (phosphorus and bacteria) going into streams in West Cumbria that lead …
Across the country, officers like myself are working hard with partners to help protect the environment from the detrimental effects of waste crime. One way we’re doing this is to target businesses and individuals who illegally dismantle vehicles and deal …
I’ve been lucky enough to experience a range of different and interesting jobs since I joined the Environment Agency in 1998, but I feel most proud of the work that I’m doing at the moment. That’s because I’m currently helping …
