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<p>The UK Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations set out offences in relation
to the shipment of waste and provide that a person found guilty of an offence can
be fined and/or imprisoned for up to two years. The regulations are enforced by the
UK’s competent authorities which will take appropriate action against any illegal
activity.</p><p> </p><p>The UK has a robust approach to enforcing these controls.
The UK environmental regulators take a pro-active, intelligence led approach to checking
compliance, targeting exports which pose a high risk and intervening to stop illegal
exports taking place. In 2017/18, the Environment Agency issued 158 stop notices,
prohibiting the export of unsuitable waste. It stopped 367 containers of waste destined
for illegal export at ports and intervened further upstream to prevent 8,974 tonnes
of waste from reaching our ports.</p><p> </p><p>After exports are stopped, the costs
associated with returning a waste shipment that is found to be unfit for export to
the site of origin for further treatment can be a significant cost to the exporter.
This prevents illegal exports and makes sure that the waste is recovered or disposed
of in an environmentally sound manner.</p><p> </p><p>I have asked the Environment
Agency to contact you with more information on their enforcement activities and the
letter will be placed in the Library.</p>
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