[help_me_pls]

Subject pops up every so often, the commen conception is the page from the EA:

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Business/wheeled_waste_bin_cleaning.pdf

I have always said on here do your research before purchasing any equipment , check the areas where you're planning to work, find out what your competition is using, if they are washing bins in the street its going to be a struggle to compete with them, cheap overheads, the following emails shows they no longer enforce it.

If anyone has also made any complaints to the EA and had no proper  follow up and would like to contact me then feel free to email me,   
you will have 100% privacy. ea_wheelie@hotmail.com

Thank you for your e-mail of 16 November 2012. I am sorry you still feel that the Environment Agency has not helped you sufficiently with this matter. 

In relation to your concerns, where pollution is identified to a water course by a third party then we will take appropriate action. In our last correspondence on 6 November we highlighted that this is not an easy task.  It is difficult to trace the originator of effluent into the surface water drains. It remains the responsibility of the sewerage undertaker o control discharges into the public sewerage systems. Anyone discharging into a public sewer should consult and obtain consent from the sewerage undertaker to ensure that it is suitable to receive these types of waste.

As stated in our previous letter to you on 6 November we have made <water authority> aware of this issue in the <local> area. I can assure you that we will also continue to take forward the actions as listed in that letter.

We now consider that this issue is closed as we are unable to offer further information other than what has been previously provided. If you are not satisfied with our response to your email you can contact us to ask for our decision to be reviewed.  If you are still not satisfied following this, you can then make an appeal to the Local Government Ombudsman at:-

The Local Government Ombudsman, PO Box 4771, Coventry, CV4 0EH, telephone – 0300 061 0614, fax – 024 7682 0001, Website – www.lgo.org.uk

If you would like to discuss this further please contact us by email MIDLANDSCUSTOMERSERV@environment-agency.gov.uk. Alternatively please write to us using the below address.

Yours sincerely

Another reply
RE:- Wheelie Bin Cleaners.

Thank you for your email of 7 January 2013. I have again reviewed the guidance available from the Agency regarding wheelie bin cleaners. As previously mentioned the Environment Agency is a regulatory body and it is our duty to make potential businesses within your trade aware of their legal duties when looking to start up their company. Our Head Office team has advised that there have been no changes to the legislation and as such our guidance on the matter is still the current.

In relation to the equipment needed, we offer a recommendation of what we consider to be the appropriate tools to deal with the resulting effluent from your business activity, however this is a recommendation and each company is ultimately responsible for choosing the equipment which best suits their needs whilst maintaining their legal responsibilities.

I understand that you have sent the details of a number of companies which you consider have not been complying with the legislation governing the Wheelie Bin trade. As referred to previously, I can assure you that we are looking into this and are currently working to identify and approach other operators or unlicensed carriers in the area to make them fully aware of the current legislation and guidance and to take any required action. <water authority > are aware of the situation and I trust are taking all appropriate measures to monitor the effluent being discharged into their sewerage system.

I appreciate that you have now referred your query to the Local Government Ombudsman and I will await correspondence from their office. 

Yours sincerely

And another


RE:- Wheelie Bin Cleaner

Thank you for your email of 3 December 2012. I have had the opportunity to read your previous correspondences and I’m sorry that you feel that your concerns have been sidestepped. I hope that I can offer some clarity to the points that you feel have not been addressed.

I have reviewed the information available on our website regarding wheelie bin cleaners. As a regulatory body the Environment Agency is responsible for advising new businesses within your trade of the legal requirements of setting up their companies. It is our policy to enforce against companies who fail to comply with their legal duties and as such we also provide this advice to those starting up their businesses. Despite the difficulties sometimes faced with enforcement we maintain this as our aim. As such there are no anticipated changes to the information we offer. We do however recognise your complaint and have highlighted this to the Head Office team which write and review our pollution prevention documents.

With reference to the advice you were given when you telephoned initially, clearly it is difficult to comment on the content of a conversation which happened some years ago. However, it sounds as though the officer you spoke to at the time pointed you towards legislation and national guidance which was current at the time. The Environment Agency wants businesses to comply with their legal responsibilities and it would have been inappropriate for one of our officers to provide advice which contradicted national guidance or encouraged non-compliance with the law. Even where aspects of legislation can be difficult to enforce, we cannot advise people that it is acceptable to breach legislation. The officer therefore appears to have taken the correct action that would have been expected from them at the time. 

Your e-mail refers to the research you have done contacting other bin cleaners and the <name removed because the EA thought I said I was a member of a federation when I'm not > Regarding correspondence with other customers we are not in a position to comment on these contacts with other customers. Communications with national trade associations, such as the <federations name removed again >, would not usually be a matter for a local Environment Management team, and it would be more appropriate for the <name removed again> to communicate directly with our Head Office. To this end we have asked our National Diffuse Pollution Team to contact the<name removed again >directly.

I trust this clarifies the situation and answers the queries raised in your e-mail of 17 October.

Yours sincerely


4th

RE:- Wheelie Bin Cleaners

Thank you for your email of 7 January 2013. Please accept my apologies for the length of time it has taken to respond. As I am sure you will appreciate, the Agency has been focusing on the recent flooding over the last month, and we are now returning to normal operations. 

In response to your email I have again reviewed the guidance available from the Agency regarding wheelie bin cleaners. As previously mentioned, the Environment Agency is a regulatory body and it is our duty to make potential businesses within your trade aware of their legal duties when looking to start up their company. Our Head Office team has advised that there have been no changes to the legislation and as such our guidance on the matter is still the current. There is a current Government consultation on this type of pollution www.defra.gov.uk/consult/open entitled Tackling Water Pollution from the Urban Environment, which explains current Government thinking on priorities and allows companies and members of the public to add their information and evidence to help reduce this type of pollution (the closing date is 8 February 2013).

In relation to the equipment needed to undertake cleaning of wheelie bins, we offer a recommendation of what we consider to be the appropriate tools to deal with the resulting effluent from your business activity, however this is a recommendation and each company is ultimately responsible for choosing the equipment which best suits their needs whilst maintaining their legal responsibilities.

I understand that you have sent the details of a number of companies which you consider have not been complying with the legislation governing the Wheelie Bin trade. As referred to previously, I can assure you that we are looking into this and are currently working to identify and approach other operators or unlicensed waste carriers in the area to make them fully aware of the current legislation and guidance and to take any required action. <water authority> are aware of the situation and we shall continue to work with them in order to re-address your concerns.

I appreciate that as a business you need to be able to operate on a level playing field and that those acting less responsibly should not take advantage of responsible companies’ who have potentially higher operating costs. Similarly I hope you may appreciate that as a public body we have a duty to spend monies on issues that cause that greatest problem. As such the Environment Agency is engaging at a national level with the <Federation name removed > to understand the industry’s concerns and to explore what options there are available. The first meeting is due to take place later this month and although you have stated that you are not a member of the <federation nmae removed> , there could be benefit in adding your voice to theirs if you have not already done so.

I appreciate that you have now referred your query to the Local Government Ombudsman and I will await correspondence from their office. 

Yours sincerely