ENVIRONMENT AGENCY UPDATES CODE ON JAPANESE KNOTWEED

摘要

The Environment Agency has updated its code of practice for controlling the highly invasive non-native plant Japanese knotweed. The plant is notoriously difficult to eradicate and it is an offence under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act to allow it to spread in the wild. Waste containing it is a controlled waste under the 1990 Environmental Protection Act. The latest update brings the code of practice up to date with recent legislation changes such as the 2010 Environmental Permitting Regulations. These state that knotweed cut down or excavated and removed from sites must be handled by an authorised person and disposed of in accordance with the code of practice.