Ineffective official inspection of regulated activities

In UK there is a multiplicity of understaffed authorities trying to control a highly competitive private-sector industry of toxic waste and other pollution. Local authorities cannot afford to provide plans for dealing with wastes, few sites are able to test the waste they receive, inspections are rare and operators cannot be prosecuted unless they are caught in the act of dumping waste illegally.

In Belgium, the 1996 deadline for making waste incinerators comply with the European Union guidelines was not met: not one incinerator in the country met the standards.