GMB organiser Craig Prickett said members at FCC Dartford are being left behind on pay compared to refuse workers on neighbouring contracts. FCC Environment, which acquired the contract when it took over Urbaser in 2024, said it is in negotiations with the union but would not negotiate through the media. Workers on the contract previously struck over pay in July 2023 under Urbaser’s management.

The campaign, which launched on 2 March, covers items including food and drink cans, foil, aerosols, screw tops, trays and tubes. Funded by the metal packaging industry, MetalMatters has run in more than 100 local authority areas since 2012, reaching over 6.3 million households. According to Alupro, these campaigns result in an increase in metal capture rates average of between 9-12 per cent, with some authorities seeing increases of 25 per cent within months.

An estimated 38 million tonnes of waste are illegally dumped across the UK each year, according to the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee. Local authorities spend up to £150 million annually on clearance, and the UK has at least 8,000 illegal waste sites containing roughly 13 million tonnes of rubbish. Many contain hazardous materials and persistent organic pollutants requiring specialist treatment.

Veolia said it is the only company able to handle all elements of the clearance process in-house, from site assessment to collection and treatment. The company is also calling for increased Environment Agency enforcement funding, with specific targets and performance indicators attached.