Industry calls for waste police to stop crime

Denmark’s waste management company association, Cirkulær, is advocating for the establishment of a ‘waste police’ to prevent illegal waste transportation, including across borders. According to Jyllands-Posten, Jens Bomann Christensen, the director of Cirkulær, underlines the need for dedicated authorities to combat ‘mafia-like’ conditions in waste disposal. He stresses that there must be stricter control and penalties, and simplified evidence procedures for environmental authorities and the police. The waste police would also ensure that soil waste handling complies with regulations, drawing attention to a TV 2 documentary exposing criminals paid to dispose of contaminated soil illicitly. Christensen suggests that the waste police could operate either at a national level or across the EU. In Denmark, waste trading is a significant business, with billions traded annually, and materials like plastic often sent abroad for recycling or incineration.