How’s Wood waste clean-up completed after 2,500 truckloads removed

The Environment Agency-led clean-up of How’s Wood began in June 2025, with specialist contractors removing 2,500 truckloads of waste from the forest and taking it to landfill in Essex.

Campaigners welcome removal of waste

Rural charity CPRE Kent, local residents and Kent Wildlife Trust joined forces in 2024 to campaign for the waste to be removed. In some areas, the rubbish had piled up to 15ft (4.6m) high.

The groups welcomed the completion of the clean-up, but warned that criminal gangs and opportunist fly-tippers could dump waste at the site again.

One organiser of the “Rescue How’s Wood” campaign said logged areas could become “caterpillars” for organised gangs and opportunist fly-tippers.

He told the BBC: “Our biggest fear now is that people will be able to access this site and start dumping again, and unless the authorities act quickly, it will happen again.”

New measures to prevent illegal dumping

The Environment Agency (EA) said it had extended the current restriction order banning entry to the site. It has also dug ditches to prevent waste trucks from entering.

Matthew Higginson, the EA’s regional environment manager, said the regulator, police and local authorities were developing a joint “trigger plan”.

“This will allow all law enforcement agencies to work together more closely and more quickly to prevent something like this from happening in the future,” he said.