WASTE
Defeating the
Breaching the Environmental Protection
Act 1990 could lead to unlimited fines. It is regarded as a major health
In other terms, WCA 1981 means
‘
that anyone that owns an area of land
hazard to humans
contaminated with Giant Hogweed must
GiAnT
ensure that this contamination does not in November 2008. The Landfill Tax Musketeers Group would r
’
ecommend
Hogweed
spread over to nearby land. Exemption provided some financial incentive implementing a spraying programme as it
In a court scenario, it would be very to developers to dispose off their Giant removes the risk of any contact with the plant.
difficult to enforce under the WCA 1981 as Hogweed waste to landfill sites. Should the time frame be more restricted
it would be challenging to ascertain or prove While a new financial incentive scheme, (as it generally is) then methods involving
where the Giant Hogweed originated from the Land Remediation Relief, is due to be excavating the contaminated ground is
(i.e. from which side of the boundary). put in place in April 2009 and promote in- required. The remediation of Giant Hogweed
The policy for large landowners regarding situ remediation, it currently excludes the has been and is still occasionally associated
Giant Hogweed or other invasive weeds is to remediation of Giant Hogweed. with the original EA guidelines for the
remain 'as is' except if a complaint is raised The Environment Industries Commission remediation of Japanese Knotweed. This
as the cost of complete eradication would is currently lobbying the government on involves digging up to seven metres away from
prove to be too prohibitive. changes to the Land Remediation Relief, the visible contamination to a depth of three
EPA 1990 implies that any substrata (i.e. which Musketeers Group is contributing to. metres.
soil) contaminated with Giant Hogweed Should there be a need for all the arisings
(stem, leaves, roots but also seeds) is
Remediation
to be disposed of to landfill then the cost of
classified as controlled waste. There are various ways of remediating Giant remediating a contamination the size of a
If moved offsite, it must be disposed of Hogweed and the method used depends on desk would amount to over £130,000. Such a
adequately into a landfill site. EPA 1990 whether a developer has any time constraints recommendation would have the potential to
applies to any organisations or individuals before undertaking any development within a jeopardise the feasibility of a project. Thankfully
and consequently, even the innocent Sunday contaminated area. nowadays there are more flexible methods
gardener could face large liabilities if he Any soft approaches (as opposed to available that both meet the financial expectation
decides to cut down his Giant Hogweed undertaking some kind of excavation) would of developers and reduce their liabilities.
infestation and dispose of it in his garden bin. be suitable should there be time. However due
With regards to the construction industry, to the dormant nature of the Giant Hogweed Maxime Jay, managing director of
EPA 1990 can have a detrimental impact on seeds, any soft approach would require a mid Musketeers Group is a specialist contractor
the financial resource of a project. to long-term remediation strategy. Herbicide dedicated to the remediation of invasive
This has been further exacerbated with spraying, cutting, pulling and mowing could plants. For more information visit
the abolition of the Landfill Tax Exemption all be classified as soft approaches although, www.musketeers-group.com
FACT FiLE: Giant Hogweed features
Stems
n Hollow and thick (3 to 8 cm in diameter)
n Purplish-red pigmentation on stems
n bristle like hairs
n During the winter the plant dies back leaving behind large dry hollow stems that
easily identify the Giant Hogweed contamination.
Leaves
n large with serrated edges
n Dark green in colour
n Can grow up to 1.5m in width
n underside of each leaf has small hairs or bristles (contain hazardous sap).
Flowers
n large umbrella-like white flower heads on stems up to 5m high with a diameter
of up to 40cm
n appear late spring to mid summer
n each flower head can produce up to 50,000 seeds and can be viable for
up to several years.
Medical advice
n if exposed to toxic sap: immediately wash the affected area of skin thoroughly with
soap and water
n Prevent the area from exposure to direct sunlight
n Seek medical advice immediately.
SuStainable SolutionS april 2009 37
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