That is according to a new report from the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), which has carried out a detailed review of EA inspection reports from between 2018 and 2022.
It found that many inspections carried out during the period were of “poor quality”, and that policy guidance was not followed in around one-third of cases, pointing to “systemic issues” with planning and oversight.
The performance of waste facilities is rated by the EA on a scale of A-F, with the agency always successfully meeting a requirement that 97% of sites are compliant with its permit and fall within bands A, B or C.
However, the OEP found that this figure automatically includes sites that have not yet been inspected as being in the highest band A, as well as those classed in band C, even though some issues of non-compliance may have been recorded.
As a result, the OEP believes that the EA can only be confident that around 64% of sites are compliant, with interim chair Julie Hill explaining that the review has uncovered "significant short-comings".
“We concluded that, while the system was designed in good faith, it is no longer working effectively, and is not sufficiently focused on intended environmental outcomes," she continued.
“Better data, stronger oversight, and clearer alignment with those outcomes are needed to ensure that these inspections can play their proper part in making sure required standards are met and the environment sufficiently protected.”
The OEP acknowledged that the EA has already taken steps to improve its inspections regime for waste sites, such as providing inspectors with refresher training on compliance.
However, it has made several recommendations, including:
“The EA has a critical and challenging role, and we recognise that work is already underway to address issues raised in this report,” Hill added. “This report is intended to support that progress by providing an independent assessment of where changes would have the greatest impact.”
The OEP will discuss its findings during a webinar on Wednesday 8 July: EPIC Webinar: OEP report on EA waste inspections | The Institution of Environmental Sciences: The IES
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Chris Seekings is the Deputy Editor of ISEP’s Transform magazine, which is published biomonthly for ISEP members. Chris’s role involves writing sustainability-related news, features and interviews, as well as helping to plan and manage the magazine’s other day-to-day activities.
