Farmers Warned Of New Waste Disposal Laws

FARMERS are being warned that laws on how they are allowed to dispose of waste are about to be tightened up.
From May 15, farmers will no longer be able to burn any waste in the open, apart from crop residues. They will not be able to bury any kind of waste on their land.

Farmers have 12 months to comply with a wide range of waste regulations when dealing with their waste. Farmers should call the Environment Agency on 08708 506506 if they need any advice about these new regulations.

Some farms may decide to provide waste bulking or waste treatment facilities for other farmers and, as well as needing a waste management licence, will need planning permission from Oxfordshire County Council.

Cllr Roger Belson, Oxfordshire County Council?s Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, said: ?We are all having to think more carefully about our environment and part of this is the need to dispose of waste responsibly.
?Waste is getting more and more expensive to dispose of and the county council has the responsibility to recycle or treat household waste in the county. However, I am concerned that the increased cost of dealing with waste could lead to some of it ending up being burned or dumped out of sight in the countryside.?

Mark Leonard, Waste Enforcement Officer for Oxfordshire County Council, added: ?Now that farm waste is covered by the same law as other waste, it will mean that illegal dumping will be easier to investigate.
?In the past you had to prove the waste came from a household or an industrial or commercial source. Now all you need to do is prove who committed the crime.
?This means that it will be easier to investigate fly-tipping as well as illegal waste dumping or illegal waste businesses operating on private land. You only need to prove who is responsible for illegally dumping, sorting, burning or burying waste.?