Waste site permit revoked after Lancashire enforcement day. The Environment Agency has revoked a waste site permit at Simonswood Industrial Estate in West Lancashire after a multi-agency enforcement day that also shut down two illegal waste sites. The action follows resident complaints about odour and dust from waste operations.
The Environment Agency served a revocation notice on Windmill Services Ltd, which must now cease all permitted activities or face prosecution. The site has not been operational since November following earlier enforcement action. During the 23 March operation, supported by the DVSA, West Lancashire Borough Council and Knowsley Council, officers also inspected five permitted sites and used drone support from the Joint Unit for Waste Crime.
The enforcement comes days after the government and Environment Agency announced a Waste Crime Action Plan with new powers and doubled funding. Waste Minister Mary Creagh said the crackdown showed "zero tolerance" for waste criminals.
The UK processed 4.013 million tonnes of waste wood in 2025, 89 per cent of the total generated, according to annual statistics from the Wood Recyclers' Association. The figure is down 7.3 per cent on 2024 after unplanned outages at end-use plants created oversupply and squeezed storage.
recell.store, the Altilium-owned marketplace for used EV batteries, has partnered with testing firm ClearWatt to offer battery health assessments to salvage yards and dismantlers. A pilot will use ClearWatt's EV Flash Test to generate independent health data supporting marketplace transactions.
Packaging firm Pact Group has invested in Plan B Circular, the UK textile-to-textile polyester recycler behind Project Re:claim, its joint venture with the Salvation Army Trading Company (SATCoL). The deal aims to scale polyester recycling ahead of EU legislation expected in 2028.