Freedom of Information success 31 March 2008
Following successful action from Friends of the Earth's Legal Team using Freedom of Information laws, members of the public can now directly request environmental information from waste companies.
Friends of the Earth made a formal complaint to the Information Commissioner about the refusal of South Downs Waste Services Ltd to release information about their waste contracts with both Brighton & Hove City Council and East Sussex County Council.
The Information Commissioner upheld the complaint.
Importantly, the Commissioner found that the company is a public authority for the purposes of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. This is an important decision and will make it much easier for members of the public to get environmental information from the companies that carry out waste functions for local authorities.
In future, members of the public can ask those companies for information directly and should be entitled to the information requested.
Read our press release for more information
