Waste crime is a blight on our communities and environment. From
blatant examples like fly-tipping rubbish by the roadside to
environmental permit breaches and money-laundering, these
activities can endanger people’s safety and undermine legitimate
waste businesses.
On top of that, waste crime costs the economy in England an
estimated £1 billion per year – that’s the same as the combined
starting salary of over 38,000 newly-qualified nurses.
The Environment Agency, as England’s environmental regulator, is
at the frontline of the fight against rogue operators and
organised criminals.
We’re determined to stop this problem and, working with the
police and other government agencies, we’ve acted. In the year to
September 2023, we:
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Closed 518 illegal waste sites
-
Brought 32 prosecutions against waste
criminals
-
Imposed fines and costs of over £580,000
This year we have taken the fight to criminals with coordinated
operations – such as Operation Lyceum, Operation Iris and
Operation Angola) – collaborating with the police, HMRC and
others to monitor dubious waste sites, stop and check lorries,
and seize stolen or hazardous cargoes.
That action has been backed up by changes in government policy to
beef up the powers that regulators and local authorities have to
take on these criminals. Councils can now impose bigger fines
for littering and fly-tipping. Grants of £775,000
have been paid to councils trialling new approaches to waste
crime. And government has committed to reforming the
carriers, brokers, dealers system to improve regulation and
enforcement of operators in the waste industry. The Environment
Agency will also launch a new team in the early 2024 dedicated to
tackling money laundering in the waste industry.
Those that pollute the environment – including waste criminals –
also face unlimited penalties
under new legislation. The current limit of £250,000 on
variable monetary penalties that the Environment Agency can
impose directly on operators is to be lifted, offering regulators
a quicker method of enforcement than lengthy and costly criminal
prosecutions – although the most serious cases will continue to
be taken through criminal proceedings.
But we need your help. Only 25% of waste crime incidents
are reported to the Environment Agency – and without
those reports, it’s harder for us to identify where crimes have
been committed and where we need to act.
Those working in the industry often have the expertise to
recognise when something isn’t right or they may know the
offenders themselves. It’s essential to report any potential
incidents to help us carry out enforcement effectively.
Emma Viner, Enforcement & Investigations Manager at
the Environment Agency, said:
Waste criminals’ toxic actions put us all in danger every time
they break the law, which is why we need the help of everyone in
the waste sector to drive them out of business.
Just a quarter of waste crimes are reported to the Environment
Agency, making it more difficult to know when and where we need
to act. So, if you know or suspect illegal waste activity is
taking place, you should tell us and we can continue our work to
stop rogue operators and organised criminals in their tracks and
force them to face justice.
This won’t be an easy fight – but with the support of partners
across the waste industry the Environment Agency is determined to
keep one step ahead of the criminals, shut them out of the system
and move us towards an economy in which there is no space for
waste crime.
If you know or suspect illegal waste activity is taking place,
report it anonymously to Crimestoppers through
their dedicated website or by calling 0800 555 111. Our
24-hour incident hotline is also available on 0800 80 70 60.
If you work in waste disposal, check you have the right permits
in place: Waste: environmental permits -
GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
