‘Right Waste Right Place’ and Federation of Small Businesses join forces to raise awareness of construction waste Duty of Care

LONDON, 08 May 2019:  The ‘Right Waste Right Place’ campaign has joined forces with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) to run a series of waste awareness raising seminars aimed at construction sector SMEs. 

 Previous research undertaken by RWRP has shown that whilst the vast majority of construction sector companies clearly want to do the ‘right thing’ with the waste they produced, nearly half could be potentially breaching waste legislation. By not complying, many could not only be losing money but could also be leaving themselves open to enforcement action as well as risking waste falling into the hands of criminals, leading to environmental and health and safety risks through fly-tipping and illegal disposal.

 Sam Corp, Right Waste, Right Place commented:

“Owners of SME construction businesses are expected to be an expert in everything – and waste law is no exception. Joining forces with FSB will help us to reach a vast network of SME businesses and so provide a helping hand to all those diligent company owners or sole traders who do not want to leave themselves open to risk.

Crucially, these events and the ‘Right Waste Right Place campaign do this in a simple and accessible way and we hope businesses find our resources useful when they’re making everyday decisions about their waste.”

 Allen Creedy, Environment Policy Chair at the FSB said:

“Our members want to run their businesses in ways which; minimises the waste they produce, uses resources from sustainable sources, supports the circular economy – these seminars will be a great opportunity for our members to conserve natural resources, save costs and understand their legal obligations and best practice”

 The first free awareness raising event is on 18 June 2019 at Northumbria University and will focus on the specific requirements of waste Duty of Care for construction sector SME’s. It will provide the views of the regulator (Environment Agency), lawyers (Clyde and Co), and compliance specialists (ethical partnership, WPS and Anthesis). 

‘‘#SCRAPflytipping” campaign joins forces with ‘Right Waste Right Place’ campaign

The Hertfordshire Fly Tipping Group is the latest organisation to join the ‘Right Waste Right Place’ Ambassador programme, helping to raise awareness of waste duty of care and helping to tackle waste crime.

 Sam Corp, Head of Regulation at ESA said:

“The Hertfordshire Fly Tipping Group with its successful ‘#SCRAPflytipping’ campaign is a natural partner for RWRP. Their campaign has produced a great toolkit of materials available to local authorities, free of charge, to raise awareness of waste ‘duty of care’ amongst householders to help prevent fly tipping. We are delighted to join forces”  

“The ‘Right Waste Right Place (RWRP)  Ambassador network continues to expand and in doing so is helping help us to reach businesses, their customers and supply chains in sectors that we would otherwise struggle to influence.  Our RWRP Ambassadors are determined to raise awareness of Duty of Care and in doing so, help cut off the flow of waste to criminals”.

Duncan Jones, Chairman of the Hertfordshire Fly Tipping Group said:

“The FTG is progressing with numerous work streams to tackle fly tipping, ranging from looking at serious and organized crime through to the Group’s recent communications campaign, which highlights that fly tipping can be as small as one bag to an entire lorry load of waste. The campaign gives residents advice about how to properly dispose of their waste. In 2017/18 following the FTG’s efforts fly tipping reduced by 17.9% with further overall reductions seen so far during 2018/19.”

“However, at the same time the FTG is keen to ensure that we do not shift the problem across borders and so have offered our campaign toolkit to all local authorities free of charge to help build a consistent national message. To date Lancaster City Council, Buckinghamshire and Kent have launched the campaign. The toolkit has also been given to a number of other local authorities and waste partnerships. Once these partners have launched, the campaign will cover around 70 local authority areas across the UK.”

“We are pleased to be joining the Right Waste Right Place Ambassador programme because it complements our campaign well and we want to ensure businesses are also aware of their responsibilities too.”

Duty of Care awareness campaign ‘Right Waste, Right Place’ welcomes ‘Rethinking Waste Crime’ report’s ambition to stop waste crime which is costing England £600m a year

Responding to the launch of the “Rethinking Waste Crime” report on 2 May
(http://www.esauk.org/esa_reports/20170502_Rethinking_Waste_Crime.pdf), Sam Corp, Head of Regulation at the ESA, who is leading the national ‘Right Waste, Right Place’ Duty of Care campaign, commented:

“The Right Waste, Right Place campaign is delighted to be sponsoring the ‘Rethinking Waste Crime’ report as it helps to raise awareness of the important impacts of waste crime. The report reiterates what we have been advocating ever since the campaign was launched: waste crime must be stopped because it blights local communities, harms the environment and undermines investment in legitimate businesses. Primarily, but not exclusively aimed at SMEs, ‘Right Waste, Right Place’ raises awareness of Duty of Care legislation and provides practical information to help companies, partnerships, family businesses and sole traders
from a broad range of sectors to comply and help keep waste out of the hands of waste criminals.”

“As co-funders of the second phase of the Right Waste, Right Place campaign, CIWM welcomes this report, which reinforces the serious impact waste crime has on society as a whole, including legitimate businesses, land owners, communities and the local environment,” says CIWM chief executive Dr Colin Church. “We are committed to raising awareness among businesses of the measures they should take to comply with their waste Duty of Care responsibilities. It is not just about avoiding fines and the risk of more serious legal action – it is about helping companies to demonstrate a professional and responsible approach to managing their waste that in turn can help close down the opportunities for waste criminals to abuse the system.”

Tony Baker, Technical Director at Right Waste, Right Place ambassador GPT Waste
Management, said:
“GPT Waste Management Ltd are proud to be an ambassador for the Right Waste, Right Place campaign. Our mission is to continually raise the awareness of our customers to ensure their statutory obligations regarding waste management are fully understood and met. The Right Waste, Right Place campaign provides waste producers with clear, concise and easily accessible ‘Duty of Care’ guidance.”

An easy to use interactive campaign website www.rightwasterightplace.com (Welsh website: www.wales.rightwasterightplace.com) has been developed, which offers practical advice on how to manage waste safely and efficiently.

New national research reveals that rural businesses are putting themselves at risk of waste crime due to fundamental lack of understanding of key legislation

·      New national research commissioned by ‘right Waste, right Place’ shows that almost a third of agriculture businesses claim to have had illegal waste dumped on their land in the last three years.

·      A substantial number of agriculture businesses are exposed to possible legal action for their waste management practices due to essential ignorance of the law

·      ‘right Waste, right Place’ campaign will now focus on raising awareness amongst agriculture and land management businesses with regional events programme and helpful guides.

Agricultural businesses and rural land owners throughout the UK are bearing the brunt of waste crime with almost a third (32%) suffering incidents of fly-tipping on their land.  A new survey commissioned by ‘right Waste, right Place’ shows the number of those falling victim in the last three years rose to 43% in some areas such as London and the South East, with owners turning to councils for help or being forced to deal with the fallout themselves. The clean-up cost has been previously estimated to be £100m-£150m per annum by the CLA.[1]

The research based on telephone interviews with over 500 rural businesses shows the fundamental problem is to do with lack of understanding with many leaving themselves open to fines, prosecution and imprisonment due to lack of awareness of their obligations under ‘Duty of Care’ law. Farmers and landowners can also be the victim of illegal waste operators using their land to store waste which is subsequently abandoned, leaving landowners with costly clean up bills. 

Depending on the region of the research, up to 100% of survey respondents believed they were compliant with ‘Duty of Care’ law, whereas previous research carried out by ‘right Waste, right Place’ reveals that only half are likely to be compliant. The campaign believes that this lack of understanding of ‘Duty of Care’ is directly contributing to waste being illegally dumped in rural areas.

In response to these alarming statistics, ‘right Waste, right Place’ has launched sector-focused material aimed at increasing awareness amongst agriculture and land management businesses. This includes an ‘Agriculture Simple Guide to Duty of Care’ published online alongside other handy reference guides including case studies; Need to Know cards; and a programme of events including showcases at agricultural fairs across the country.

Sam Corp, Head of Regulation at the ESA, commented:

“Our survey shows that the effects of people not doing the right thing with their waste are very real for agricultural businesses. Almost a third told us they had experienced fly-tipping on their land, which is not only a costly inconvenience - it can be a major health hazard to people, livestock and livelihoods.

“However it is clear that despite their vulnerability many businesses are running the risk of inadvertently contributing to waste crime by believing they are complying with the legislation when the evidence is there that they are not. We believe this is a particular issue where the waste is handed from one party to another.

“We’d urge businesses to join in alliance with the ‘right Waste, right Place’ campaign to tackle this issue together.  We can provide practical support through easy-to-understand reference guides and are keen to work in partnership with businesses to establish best practices and raise awareness of this issuethroughout the industry.”

Building on its national success, attracting support from concerned stakeholders including The National Trust and Keep Britain Tidy, the campaign is now calling on agricultural industries, associations, and local authorities in rural areas to sign-up to and support the campaign. In so doing, they can make use of the free materials and information resources provided. Thereby they can help their customers and members to comply with the law as well as reduce the risk of themselves becoming a victim of waste crime.

Dr Colin Church, chief executive of CIWM, said:

“We know that many agricultural businesses are actively trying to do the right thing with their waste, taking steps to make sure it doesn’t fall into the hands of waste criminals.  However our latest research shows that rural communities are still suffering from the results of bad practice.

“The unrelenting nature of rural business means constant demands on the time of what are often small enterprises with few staff. Whilst this can be tough, being efficient yet diligent in the way waste is dealt with can lead to savings, environmental benefits and opportunities to diversify. However the key is to fully understand the legislation and it appears that many do not.

“The ‘right Waste, right Place’ campaign is here to help businesses achieve their potential when it comes to waste practices and we really want to bring together the industry to tackle the issues in partnership.”

Nicky Cunningham, Deputy Director of Waste Regulation at the Environment Agency, said:

“It’s crucial that all businesses understand their duty of care responsibilities for the waste they produce. Too often, when these responsibilities are misunderstood or ignored, we see the impact of waste crime where waste is deliberately dumped on land with no permit. This can cause serious pollution, put communities at risk and undermines legitimate businesses that are doing the right thing.  And even if the landowner has no involvement, legally they may still be responsible for that waste and that could mean a large clear up bill. If you see or suspect waste crime activities are taking place please report it anonymously online to Crimestoppers www.crimestoppers-uk.org or call 0800 555 111."

Judith Kelly, OBE, HMRC’s Deputy Director of Environmental Tax Policy confirmed:

"I'm delighted to see the work being done to promote duty of care.  As the unlawful disposal of waste evades Landfill Tax and is unfair to those who take care to do the right thing with their waste, HMRC has launched a waste taskforce to complement the work done by the Environment Agency. Strengthening controls upstream will help prevent non-compliance, making it harder for operators to make mistakes or deliberately break the rules."

Delivered through an interactive website (www.rightwasterightplace.com) and run by the Environmental Services Association (ESA), the national ‘right Waste, right Place’ campaign is supported by the Environment Agency (EA), Natural Resources Wales (NRW), the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) and the Environmental Services Association Education Trust (ESAET), and offers practical advice on how to manage waste safely and efficiently. It has already attracted the support of a collection of official ‘ambassadors’ spanning various sectors, including local authorities, associations such as the Federation of Small Businesses, waste management companies, housebuilders, construction companies, and charities.

[1] https://www.cla.org.uk/rural-policy-advice/environmental-management/waste

Alan Holmes of right Waste right Place discusses Duty of Care

VIDEO: Alan Homes of the right Waste right Place campaign talks about why it is so important that businesses comply with their Duty of Care requirements.  

Duty of Care awareness campaign ‘right Waste, right Place’ set to expand into Wales and tackle misunderstandings over waste

• Natural Resources Wales becomes sponsor of the campaign which raises awareness of Duty of Care waste legislation and provides practical information for SMEs
• The backing will enable the campaign to organise more events, produce new materials and develop a Welsh-language website
• Powys County Council signs up as first Welsh campaign ambassador

Natural Resources Wales has lent its support to ‘right Waste, right Place’, opening the campaign up to more businesses across the country. The waste awareness campaign will target small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and other organisations throughout Wales with information on their Duty of Care obligations. Furthermore, Powys County Council is the first Welsh council to have joined the ‘right Waste, right Place’ campaign as an ambassador, raising awareness of the Duty of Care in the county, with many more organisations having expressed an interest in supporting the campaign.

The campaign has revealed that a large number of businesses across the UK are struggling to do the right thing with their waste, with many unaware of their obligations. Research conducted by ‘right Waste, right Place’ showed that 98% of Welsh businesses thought that they were meeting their obligations, but nearly half admitted to practices that mean they are not complying fully with the law.

The national survey commissioned by the right Waste, right Place campaign – mainly focused on small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) – found that in Wales, 43% of businesses didn’t know where all their waste goes when it leaves site.  Over a third also admitted to not being sure whether they completed or kept essential Waste Transfer Notes, a key requirement.  Further, many were unsure on how to correctly classify all the waste materials they handled.

Primarily, but not exclusively aimed at SMEs, ‘right Waste, right Place’ raises awareness of Duty of Care legislation and provides practical information to help companies, partnerships, family businesses and sole traders from a broad range of sectors to comply and help keep waste out of the hands of waste criminals. An easy to use interactive website www.rightwasterightplace.com (Welsh website: www.wales.rightwasterightplace.com) has been developed, which offers practical advice on how to manage waste safely and efficiently.

Dr Emyr Roberts, Chief Executive of National Resources Wales, commented:

“The Duty of Care message helps us protect communities from poor environmental quality and other environmental risks. Providing businesses with the right information in order for them to meet their waste management obligations will ensure they can operate successfully without harming people and the environment.”

Sam Corp, Head of Regulation at the ESA, commented:

“We are delighted that Natural Resources Wales are joining the campaign as a sponsor, meaning we can extend our message about Duty of Care to Welsh businesses and other organisations. Our research has showed that many small business owners in Wales aren’t aware of their obligations under the law. With the backing of Natural Resources Wales we can get the message to these businesses, helping to tackle waste crime and save businesses and the public money.”

Colin Church, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, commented: 

“Ensuring that businesses understand their responsibilities with regard to waste is essential to tackling a range of issues that impact on society, from fly-tipping to more serious illegal waste activities that harm the environment. The right Waste, right Place campaign is focused on helping businesses to do the right thing and we are delighted that Wales is supporting this important initiative.”

Local businesses and those interested in joining the campaign as ambassadors, can find simple guides, Need to Know cards, case studies and videos online at www.rightwasterightplace.com (Welsh website: www.wales.rightwasterightplace.com) or by emailing info@rightwasterightplace.com.

Growing number of organisations offer support to right Waste, right Place

The number of organisations who have joined the right Waste, right Place (rWrP) campaign, which raises awareness of the Duty of Care waste legislation and provides practical information to help businesses from a broad range of sectors to comply, continues to grow. Since the Ambassador programme was launched in August 2016, the following organisations have signed up to raise awareness amongst their 400,000+ SME suppliers, customers and members:

•  Augean
•  Biffa
•  Business Environmental Support Scheme for Telford
•  Cory Environmental
•  Considerate Constructors Scheme
•  FCC Environment
•  Gloucestershire Joint Waste Team
•  Helistrat
•  Hills Waste Solutions
•  Keep Britain Tidy
•  Kent County Council
•  Mace
•  National Trust
•  Redrow
•  SUEZ
•  The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB)
•  Travis Perkins Plc
•  URoc
•  Veolia
•  Viridor
•  Waste Cap
•  Westminster City Council
•  Willmott Dixon

The initial criteria to be an Ambassador are as follows:

·         Evidence that the organisation embraces the principles of rWrP and has an internal programme and policy on waste management.

·         A commitment to promoting best practice with regard to waste management.

·         A commitment to actively engage with rWrP to promote the campaign.

Sam Corp, Head of Regulation at the ESA, commented:

“We are being approached by organisations from a range of sectors every week who want to get involved in the right Waste, right Place campaign. This demonstrates that local authorities, businesses and others are recognising how serious an issue Duty of Care compliance is. I am looking forward to continuing to work with our campaign ambassadors and to many more organisations signing up to the programme in the near future.”

Primarily, but not exclusively aimed at SMEs, rWrP raises awareness of the Duty of Care legislation and provides practical information to help companies, partnerships, family businesses and sole traders from a broad range of sectors to comply and help keep waste out of the hands of waste criminals. An easy to use interactive website www.rightwasterightplace.com has been developed, which offers practical advice on how to manage waste safely and efficiently. Those interested in joining the rWrP Ambassador Programme are encouraged to get in touch via info@rightwasterightplace.com.

Construction companies breaching waste law prompts sector-focused campaign

• New research shows that almost half of construction companies surveyed don’t know where all of their waste goes
• ‘right Waste, right Place’ construction-sector campaign launched at RWM on 13 September at 13.00hrs in local authority theatre to help businesses understand responsibilities and raise awareness

Many construction businesses across the UK are struggling to do the right thing with their waste, with almost half admitting to practices that mean they are not complying fully with the law. A new survey shows that while 98% of construction businesses think they are complying with obligations under waste ‘Duty of Care’ law, many are leaving themselves open to unlimited fines, prosecution and potential closure due to their lack of awareness.

The national survey by ‘right Waste, right Place’ - mainly focused on small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) - found that 46% of SME construction businesses didn’t know where all their waste goes when it leaves site. Over a third also admitted to not being sure whether they completed or kept essential Waste Transfer Notes, a key requirement. Further, many were unsure on how to correctly classify all the waste materials they handled.

By not complying, construction businesses risk waste falling into the hands of criminals, leading to environmental, health and safety risks through fly-tipping and illegal disposal.

In response, the ‘right Waste, right Place’ construction sector-focused campaign has been launched at RWM on 13 September 2016, at 13.00hrs in the local authority theatre, to help construction businesses understand what is expected of them. Centred on an interactive website (www.rightwasterightplace.com) and run by the Environmental Services Association (ESA), the campaign is supported by the Environment Agency (EA), the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) and the Environmental Services Association Education Trust (ESAET), and offers practical advice on how to manage waste safely and efficiently. The construction sector-focused campaign will include a Simple Guide to the Duty of Care for construction companies, need to know cards and case studies highlighting Duty of Care requirements and a number of training seminars aimed specifically at construction businesses.

Sam Corp, Head of Regulation at the ESA, commented:

“These results back up what we suspected, that small construction businesses really want to do the right thing but many are ultimately not complying with the law. Nearly half told us that they’re unsure where the waste goes when it leaves them. Dealing with your waste can fall down the list of priorities when busy, but business people need to realise that they are risking significant penalties if they do not comply.

“Waste crime is not victimless. Dealing with the results is costing taxpayers millions of pounds each year and waste criminals can harm the environment and put local communities in danger. By not complying, local businesses could well be helping facilitate such crime by not ensuring waste is disposed of safely.

“The ‘right Waste, right Place’ campaign is here to help. Small business owners are often stretched, multi-tasking and under pressure. Our campaign provides valuable and easy-to-understand materials that will help them put good practices in place that protect them from breaking the law.”

Alan Holmes, Senior Waste Advisor, Environment Agency, said:

“Research conducted by the Environment Agency back in 2012 showed that 28% of illegal waste sites in the UK featured construction and demolition wastes. The latest research conducted on behalf of the ‘right Waste, right Place’ campaign confirm our expectation that many small construction businesses are unaware they are acting illegally. We therefore support the launch of the construction-sector campaign to help businesses understand responsibilities and raise awareness.”

Julia Barrett, Director at Willmott Dixon’s Re-Thinking Limited, said:

“The amount of waste we produce at Willmott Dixon is directly linked to the number of construction sites that we have. Through close collaboration with key supply chain partners we have increased the diversion from landfill of our demolition, excavation and construction waste to 98%. The cheapest waste to deal with is the waste we don’t create and so we have now set a target to reduce our construction waste by 60% by 2020.

“We are proud to be a campaign ambassador for the ‘right Waste, right Place’ campaign and would encourage many more construction companies and supply chain partners to join the programme.”

The national ‘right Waste, right Place’ campaign has already attracted the support of a collection of official ‘ambassadors’ spanning various sectors, including local authorities, associations such as the Federation of Small Businesses, waste management companies, housebuilders, construction companies, and charities including the National Trust.

The latest campaign research is based on a survey of over 1000 businesses across the UK. Whilst highlighting lack of awareness about ‘Duty of Care’ waste legislation, it showed that many businesses are motivated and currently take steps to do the right thing.

Nationally, environmental and health considerations were the main drivers for businesses to comply, followed closely by legal requirements. A total of 89% also said they took steps to securely store their waste, while 83% were making some effort to separate the different types of waste created before disposing or recycling.

Putting the wrong waste in the wrong place can cause problems with contamination of material destined for recycling, potentially costing businesses money.

Steve Lee, chief executive of CIWM, said:

“We were pleased to see that the majority of the businesses we spoke to were motivated to do the right thing and had practices in place to split different types of waste such as electronic, hazardous, plastic and metal waste.

“Owners of SME businesses are expected to be an expert in everything – and waste law is no exception. Our campaign provides a helping hand to all those diligent company owners or sole traders who do not want to leave themselves open to risk. Crucially, the campaign does this in a simple and accessible way and we hope businesses find our resources useful when they’re making everyday decisions about their waste.”

Local businesses can find simple guides, Need to Know cards, case studies and videos online at www.rightwasterightplace.com or by emailing info@rightwasterightplace.com.

Businesses across the country are breaching waste law

Businesses across the country are breaching waste law due to chronic lack of awareness, new research shows

•  Almost half of the 1,000 businesses surveyed say they don’t know where all of their waste goes
•  Nearly one million fly-tipping incidents in England and Wales in a year, costing local authorities nearly £70 million.
•  ‘right Waste, right Place’ campaign launched nationwide to help businesses understand responsibilities and raise awareness

Businesses across the country are struggling to do the right thing with their waste, with almost half admitting to practices that mean they are not complying fully with the law. A new survey shows that while 97% of businesses think they are complying with obligations under waste ‘Duty of Care’ law, many are leaving themselves open to unlimited fines, prosecution and potential closure due to their lack of awareness.

The national survey by ‘right Waste, right Place’ – mainly focused on small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) – found that 48% of businesses didn’t know where all their waste goes when it leaves site. Over a third also admitted to not being sure whether they completed or kept essential Waste Transfer Notes, a key requirement. Further, many were unsure on how to correctly classify all the waste materials they handled.

By not complying, businesses risk their waste falling into the hands of criminals, leading to environmental, health and safety risks through fly-tipping and illegal disposal. There were a total of 962,513 incidents of fly-tipping recorded across the country in 2014-15, costing local authorities £69 million in investigations and clearance. Putting the wrong waste in the wrong place can also cause problems with contamination of material destined for recycling, potentially costing businesses money.

In response, the ‘right Waste, right Place’ campaign has been launched to help businesses understand what is expected of them. Centred on an interactive website (www.rightwasterightplace.com) and run by the Environmental Services Association (ESA), the campaign is supported by the Environment Agency (EA) and Chartered Institution for Wastes Management (CIWM) and offers practical advice on how to manage waste safely and efficiently.

Sam Corp, Head of Regulation at the ESA, commented:

"These results back up what we suspected, that small businesses really want to do the right thing but many are ultimately not complying with the law. Nearly half told us that they’re unsure where the waste goes when it leaves them. Dealing with your waste can fall down the list of priorities when busy, but business people need to realise that they are risking significant penalties if they do not comply.

"Waste crime is not victimless. Dealing with the results is costing taxpayers millions of pounds each year and waste criminals can harm the environment and put local

communities in danger. By not complying, local businesses could well be helping facilitate such crime by not ensuring waste is disposed of safely.

"The ‘right Waste, right Place’ campaign is here to help. Small business owners are often stretched, multi-tasking and under pressure. Our campaign provides valuable and easy-to-understand materials that will help them put good practices in place that protect them from breaking the law."

The campaign has already attracted the support of a collection of official ‘ambassadors’ spanning various sectors, including local authorities, associations such as the Federation of Small Businesses, waste management companies, housebuilders, construction companies, and charities including the National Trust.

The latest campaign research is based on a survey of over 1000 businesses across the UK. Whilst highlighting lack of awareness about ‘Duty of Care’ waste legislation, it showed that many businesses are motivated and currently take steps to do the right thing.

Environmental and health considerations were the main drivers for businesses to comply, followed closely by legal requirements. A total of 89% also said they took steps to securely store their waste, while 83% were making some effort to separate the different types of waste created before disposing or recycling.

Steve Lee, chief executive of CIWM, said:

"We were pleased to see that the majority of the businesses we spoke to were motivated to do the right thing and had practices in place to split different types of waste such as electronic, hazardous, plastic and metal waste.

"Owners of SME businesses are expected to be an expert in everything – and waste law is no exception. Our campaign provides a helping hand to all those diligent company owners or sole traders who do not want to leave themselves open to risk. Crucially, the campaign does this in a simple and accessible way and we hope businesses find our resources useful when they’re making everyday decisions about their waste."

Marie Fallon, Head of Regulated Industry at the EA said:

"Helping businesses understand and comply with their Duty of Care is central in stopping waste getting into the hands of illegal waste operators. If more businesses know what to do with their waste, less will be illegally managed, less will be dangerously disposed of, and public money can be saved.

"It’s encouraging that this research shows businesses want to do the right thing, so providing information and guidance through the ‘right Waste, right Place’ website is a great way to help them achieve compliance, and we’d encourage businesses to engage with the campaign."

Businesses coming across suspected illegal waste management activities are reminded that they can report it anonymously to Crimestoppers online www.crimestoppers-uk.org or by phoning: 0800 555 111."

Businesses can find simple guides, Need to Know cards, case studies and videos on this website.

Right Waste, right Place campaign launches Ambassador Programme

Right Waste, right Place campaign launches Ambassador Programme and secures Suez, Veolia, FSB, Cory Environmental, Augean PLC, Redrow, Willmott Dixon and the Gloucestershire Joint Waste Team as Campaign Ambassadors

Right Waste, right Place (rWrP), the campaign which raises awareness of the Duty of Care legislation and provides practical information to help businesses from a broad range of sectors to comply, has today launched its Ambassador Programme. Suez, Veolia, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Cory Environmental, Augean PLC, Redrow, Willmott Dixon and the Gloucestershire Joint Waste Team[1] have already signed up to become Campaign Ambassadors and will raise awareness of the Duty of Care amongst their +5,000 suppliers. As such they are champions of the cause and may use the campaign materials to their benefit including bespoke research and educational packages.

The initial criteria to be an Ambassador are as follows:

• Evidence that the organisation embraces the principles of rWrP and has an internal programme and policy on waste management.
• A commitment to promoting best practice with regard to waste management.
• A commitment to actively engage with rWrP to promote the campaign.

Sam Corp, Head of Regulation at the ESA, commented:

“The number of organisations actively involved with the right Waste, right Place campaign, representing a broad range of sectors, shows just how serious an issue Duty of Care compliance is. Therefore, I am delighted to announce Suez, Veolia, FSB, Cory Environmental, Augean PLC, Redrow, Willmott Dixon and the Gloucestershire Joint Waste Team as Campaign Ambassadors and look forward to many more organisations signing up to the programme in the near future.”

Primarily, but not exclusively aimed at SMEs, rWrP raises awareness of the Duty of Care legislation and provides practical information to help companies, partnerships, family businesses and sole traders from a broad range of sectors to comply and help keep waste out of the hands of waste criminals. This website offers practical advice on how to manage waste safely and efficiently. Those interested in joining the rWrP Ambassador Programme are encouraged to get in touch via info@rightwasterightplace.com.