Mr Phil White

Phil is a Chartered Waste Manager with over 30 years' experience in the environment sector, including over 25 years in waste management regulation, policy and consultancy. Phil is an experienced expert witness in waste treatment infrastructure commercial disputes & claims, and criminal and civil matters in the waste & resource management sector.

REGULATORY EXPERIENCE
Phil’s background is in waste regulation with over 8 years’ experience with the Environment Agency in waste policy, operations, investigations and enforcement. Phil developed an in-depth working knowledge of waste legislation and guidance, including as a lead officer in prosecutions for illegal deposit of waste and a complex 2-year investigation into a nationally significant incident, permit breaches, and illegal operations at a hazardous waste treatment facility, resulting in a successful prosecution. Phil also received formal cross examination and PACE training.

EXPERT WITNESS EXPERIENCE
Phil has been an expert witness since 2011, applying his regulatory experience with extensive waste technical and commercial experience as a consultant. Phil’s clear and pragmatic interpretation of legislation and guidance has supported several successful outcomes.

This includes:
• Extensive advice in commercial disputes and insurance claims relating to mechanical biological treatment (MBT) facilities that did not meet performance requirements. Phil led teams of experts providing extensive opinion on insurance claims concerning the Greater Manchester waste PFI facilities, and for Essex County Council concerning why a waste PFI facility failed to pass Acceptance Tests (Technology & Construction Court judgement found in favour of ECC).

• Expert witness in several contract disputes. In 2024 Phil opined on the rationale to terminate a refuse derived fuel (RDF) treatment and export contract due to allegations of poor bale quality. Phil’s client represented a waste company claiming wrongful contract termination by the company responsible for RDF transport and energy recovery. Phil gave evidence at the High Court of Justice, Business and Property Courts. The Judge found in favour of the Claimant and said in his Judgment Phil was “appropriately qualified and experienced to opine on these matters... excellent, and reliable”.

• Expert witness in numerous criminal defence cases concerning Environment Agency prosecutions for issues including breaches of permit conditions, Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990, statutory waste Duty of Care, Waste Shipments Regulation (Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations), packaging waste regulations, Environmental Permitting Regulations, POCA cases and sentencing hearings.

Examples include:
• Expert in a prosecution of a waste broker alleged to have exported glass waste that was too contaminated to be classified as ‘green list’ waste; the prosecution dropped the case following Phil’s expert report.

• Expert in a high-profile prosecution of a ‘tier 1’ waste company alleged to have exported paper waste that was too contaminated to be classified as ‘green list’ waste from one of the UK’s largest materials recovery facilities (MRFs) (evidence in Crown Court, June 2019).

WASTE TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE
Phil is experienced in successfully leading consulting teams with a broad portfolio of advice covering the life cycle of waste infrastructure projects. He is experienced in providing strategic and operational advice, including waste treatment technology performance, selection, and options appraisals; technical, commercial, and regulatory due diligence; regulatory compliance and permitting; waste infrastructure procurement; and waste facility construction and operations monitoring.

Phil advises across a comprehensive range of waste types, recovered materials and waste recycling and treatment technologies, including: energy from waste incineration (EfW), composting and anaerobic digestion (AD), advanced conversion technologies (ACT) including gasification, MBTs, MRFs, and RDF production.

Phil has niche expertise in end of waste. From 2007-2011 he was lead technical advisor to the Environment Agency’s end of waste Quality Protocols Programme and has supported industry to successfully achieve end of waste for recovered materials.

KEY SKILLS
• Defence expert witness in Environment Agency prosecutions
• Expert opinion in commercial disputes, civil claims, and adjudications
• Regulatory compliance assessment, due diligence and permitting
• Mechanical, biological, and thermal waste treatment technology performance
• Technical, market and commercial due diligence
• Definition of waste, end of waste, and waste classification
• Waste infrastructure procurement technical advice and evaluation

PERSONAL STATEMENT
Phil is diligent, methodical and has excellent written and verbal communication skills. He has been commended by Counsel on the high quality of his written reports and in Judgments on his reliability as an expert. He conveys complex technical and regulatory information in Plain English.

Phil is experienced providing expert opinion and strategic compliance advice, supported by his broad knowledge in waste regulation, markets, site operations, technology performance and technical and commercial risk. Phil has provided expert opinion in many complex and broad ranging cases.

Member of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management