UCL in the News: Coming to a field nearby: your recycled waste

Earlier this month the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced its new waste strategy for England and Wales. Its schemes include encouraging households to reduce their non-recyclable waste by rewarding those who produce less. …

But experts believe that these measures will drive householders and business owners to give their waste to less reputable companies.

Prof Nick Tilley [UCL Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science], who has studied illegal dumping, said: "The Government is in a bit of a fix as it wants to stop people dumping waste but also wants to deter people from producing more waste than is necessary.

"The more costly it becomes to dispose of waste material legally, the more tempting it will be to dispose of it illegally and the greater the potential there is for people to exploit that." …

Richard Gray, 'Daily Telegraph'