Completed petition Strengthening the Legislative and Regulatory Framework Surrounding Waste Wood Processing Facilities

We, the undersigned, call on the National Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh Government to: 

Direct Natural Resources Wales, local authorities and other relevant public bodies to work together to use their existing powers and duties to take effective and efficient enforcement action within the recycling industry.

Strengthen the legislative and regulatory framework where required to enable relevant public bodies to undertake more efficient and effective enforcement action (including monitoring), and enable them to prosecute and impose stronger financial penalties on companies and individual company directors who breach their operational controls such as planning conditions or terms of their operational licences and environmental permits;

Review existing legislation to allow the public, Fire and Rescue Services and other public bodies to recoup the costs of dealing with incidents, such as the recent fire at South Wales Wood Recycling Ltd, if the cause of the fire is found to be as a result of the company’s negligence, criminal action or breaches of other regulations, conditions or permissions.

Review environmental protection rules and provide guidance to local authorities to ensure that all waste wood processing facilities are not located in close proximity to residential premises, sites of special scientific interest or sites of importance for nature conservation.

Undertake a comprehensive assessment on the long-term health implications of the inhalation of wood dust caused by the processing of waste wood and undertake an ongoing assessment of the dust deposits at wood processing facilities.