Businesses can now only tip hazardous waste at specially licensed landfill sites, after new laws came into force this month.
The nearest licensed landfill tip to South Lakeland will be White Moss in Lancashire, although it is hoped further sites in the North West will be approved at a later date.
Environment Agency officials plan to step up enforcement action to combat illegal fly-tipping of hazardous waste, including construction material, oil and chemical process waste.
Area manager Bernadette Carr said: "These changes will require a major step change to waste management practices in the region and present a great challenge to everyone involved.
"The onus is not just on the waste management sector to respond, but also for the producers of hazardous waste in the North West to look for more sustainable manage-ment practices, through prevention, minimisation and recovery and to take responsibility for the final disposal of the residues they produce.
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