Waste Crime

Environment Agency officers checking shipping container that has recycling materials for export
Further arrests made in packaging export note fraud investigation

Littering
No link found between biodegradable plastics and increased littering

BB-REG-NET report challenges perception about biodegradable packaging, suggesting improper waste disposal is driven by convenience and item size instead

Waste cowboy fly-tipping in rural area
‘Waste cowboys’ targeted in new Government fly-tipping reforms

Review of waste crime legislation looks to remove regulatory barriers preventing councils from seizing and crushing vehicles used in illegal dumpings

Illegal flytipping incident
Haringey issues over £1.3 million in fly-tipping and littering fines
By
Beth Jones
| 16 April 2025 |
At least 17 boroughs are increasing fines to £1,000 following the rise of illegal waste dumping in London
Graham Horn / Cottage Lane flytipping / CC BY-SA 2.0
Defra opens consultation on waste permit reforms
By
Beth Jones
| 8 April 2025 |
UK and Welsh Governments launch joint review to close loopholes exploited by illegal waste fraud, following Corry Review
Pile of tyres
Environment Agency to review its approach to waste tyre exports
By
Beth Jones
| 1 April 2025 |
Following the release of the BBC’s File on 4 ‘Tyre Scandal’ and legal campaign from Fighting Dirty, the government body will take three months to investigate UK tyre shipments to India
End-of-life tyres (Paul McIlroy / Used tyres / CC BY-SA 2.0)
BBC Investigation: Millions of end-of-life tyres exported to illegal pyrolysis facilities
By
Beth Jones
| 26 March 2025 |
The BBC ‘File on 4’ investigation finds UK tyres fuelling toxic pollution in unlicensed processing plants, prompting industry calls for immediate regulation
Arnold's Field fire (Photograph: London Fire Brigade)
Havering Council faces legal action over Arnold’s Field contamination dispute
By
Beth Jones
| 20 March 2025 |
High Court hears judicial review from Clear The Air In Having over council’s refusal to classify illegal landfill site as contaminated, despite threat to local health
UK shipping port
Environment Agency makes arrests for £747,000 recycling credit fraud
By
Beth Jones
| 13 March 2025 |
A 45-year-old and 43-year-old have been released on bail as part of ongoing investigation into illegal recycling export paperwork scheme
Pile of waste tyres
Tyre recyclers calls for immediate end of T8 exemptions
By
Beth Jones
| 4 March 2025 |
TRA criticises government inaction on delayed waste regulations, despite Scotland already removing the contentious loopholes in 2018
Waste crime illegal fly tipping
Fly-tipping in England increased by six per cent in 2023/24
By
Beth Jones
| 26 February 2025 |
Defra statistics show a rise in construction and white goods waste dumping, with local authorities spending £13.1 million in clearance fees for large-sized incidents
Environment Agency worker standing over waste filled plot of land
Environment Agency launches National Waste Crime Survey
By
Beth Jones
| 4 February 2025 |
The survey seeks insights from industry and the public on the scale, impact, deterrence, report rate, and effectiveness of actions against waste crime
Litter on residential street
‘A Rubbish Reality’ shows UK vape litter on the rise despite less cigarette waste
By
Beth Jones
| 29 January 2025 |
Keep Britain Tidy reports finding litter in nine out of ten public spaces in England, with the public perceiving drinks container litter to be the most problematic
Sarah Perreard, Co-CEO, EA Earth Action
The future of plastic pollution is in businesses’ hands
By
Sarah Perreard
| 9 December 2024 |
Businesses must take initiative on plastic pollution following limited progress at UN treaty negotiations
Line for the production of plastic PET bottles on the background of the worker. Preparation of containers for drinks and sunflower oil
False recycled content claims undermining UK plastic recycling system
By
Beth Jones
| 17 October 2024 |
RECOUP calls for urgent reforms to Plastic Packaging Tax enforcement
Baled waste illegally deposited at Heald Top Farm, Lancashire
Gang convicted for causing £3.2M damage operating illegal waste dumping sites
By
Beth Jones
| 29 August 2024 |
Environment Agency investigation sees three individuals plead guilty for abandoning 26,000 tonnes of waste
Environment Agency worker standing over waste filled plot of line
Environment Agency warns landowners of illegal waste dumping threat
By
Beth Jones
| 21 August 2024 |
Survey in 2023 finds that 85 per cent of landowners and farmers affected by some form fly-tipping
Photo of Maersk Campton ©Ray Hensel
Maersk to return suspected toxic waste to Europe
By
Charles Newman
| 20 August 2024 |
Shipping giant agrees to transport 816 tonnes of hazardous material back to Albania
Bulldozer managing waste on the slope of an inert landfill
Welsh Government consults on raising lower-rate of landfill tax
By
Charles Newman
| 12 August 2024 |
Current of £3.30 per tonne not incentivising alternatives to disposing on inert waste
MAERSK container ship in transit
NGOs warn of illegal waste export from Europe to Asia
By
Beth Jones
| 8 August 2024 |
Environmental groups flag the disappearance of container ships bound for Thailand carrying 816 tonnes of toxic furnace dust
Environment Agency officers watching as bales of packaging waste are unloaded by a forklift truck at a port
Environment Agency intensifies crackdown on waste export fraud
By
Charles Newman
| 1 August 2024 |
Regulator warns of dramatic rise in illegal claims for Packaging Export Recovery Notes
Landfill
HMRC reports £100 million Landfill Tax gap as ESA warns of ongoing fraud
By Resource |
20 June 2024 |
Environmental Services Association calls for stronger enforcement as HMRC's latest figures show a significant gap between expected and collected Landfill Tax revenue
Flytipped Waste
£1M fund to help councils combat fly-tipping
By Resource |
20 May 2024 |
In a bid to crack down on fly-tipping, Defra has awarded grants to 26 local authorities across England to target hotspots and better protect communities.