UK Firms Profit £340M From Polluting Rivers

UK water companies amassed over £340 million in revenue last year from processing industrial and commercial wastewater. This revenue stream involves directing billions of litres of industrial effluent into sewage treatment works, many of which lack the capacity to remove a wide array of chemical pollutants.

These treatment facilities primarily rely on biological processes, insufficient for neutralizing industrial chemicals such as flame retardants, Pfas, solvents, and pharmaceuticals. Some permitted waste streams have even contained hazardous substances like cyanide, chromium, cadmium, and mercury.

The consequence is that these pollutants either enter rivers, lakes, and seas as treated effluent or are incorporated into sewage sludge spread on agricultural land. This process also contributes to the overloading of sewer systems, leading to raw sewage spills.

Revenues from this industrial waste processing have seen a significant increase, with Anglian Water reporting a 62% rise. Companies like United Utilities and Yorkshire Water reported substantial earnings, though figures vary depending on whether tankered waste was included.

Environmental experts and regulators express concern, noting that the current trade-effluent consent system, established over 30 years ago, is outdated and lacks independent oversight. There is a call for a dedicated liquid-waste treatment sector rather than the current 'dilute and disperse' model.

In response, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs stated that water companies should not profit from pollution and that reforms are underway. Water UK highlighted legal obligations to accept trade effluent and suggested government action to ban toxic substances and hold manufacturers accountable.