Organised crime groups are ‘illegally dumping 38 million tonnes of waste each year’

The police are among those institutions unable to cope with fraud committed by organized crime groups, a cross-party group of colleagues has found.

The Environment Agency was also among those criticized for failing to address the issue in the House of Lords.

In a letter to Environment Minister Emma Reynolds, the Lords Committee on Environment and Climate Change called on the government to establish an independent root and branch review into serious and organized waste crime.

The committee argued that fly tipping has been largely under-prioritised, despite it causing significant environmental, social and economic costs of around £1 billion each year.

The letter stated: “We are deeply concerned about the demonstrable inadequacy of the current approach to tackling waste crime.”

His colleagues also said they were “unimpressed by the lack of interest shown by the police in carrying out their duties by bringing their expertise to bear in tackling serious and organized waste crime”.

The statement came after the committee held a brief inquiry, which heard from representatives of community groups, as well as the Environment Agency, government, authorities, police and crime commissioners and waste management experts.

While the group welcomed the government’s commitment to transitioning to a circular economy to help stamp out waste crime, it also called for a range of reforms to tackle the problem.

This involved the establishment of a joint unit on waste crime to improve co-operation between agencies at local level, particularly local government and police, and the handling of reports or intelligence sharing.

Commissioners also called on the Treasury to review rules on the management of public money that prevent the Environment Agency from diverting resources from its regulatory work to crime enforcement, as well as to maintain additional funding for the Environment Agency next year.

They said ministers needed to fully consider the risks that landfill tax reform would increase other forms of waste crime and lead to landfill abandonment.

The Environment Agency (Defra) has been called on to develop interim targets that include a comprehensive set of metrics to measure progress.

Baroness Sheehan, chair of the committee, said: “During our investigation, we heard that more than 38 million tonnes of waste is illegally dumped each year – enough to fill Wembley Stadium 35 times – by established organized crime groups primarily involved in drugs, firearms, money laundering and modern slavery.

“Despite the scale and seriousness of the crimes raised by the public in many cases, we have identified many failings by the Environment Agency and other agencies, from slow responses to repeated public reports (as in the case of Kent Hoad’s Wood) to the woeful lack of successful convictions.

“The government and other agencies must act immediately on our recommendations, including launching an independent review. There is no time to waste.”

Defra has been contacted for comment.

An Environment Agency spokesman said: “We are aware of the recommendations in the report and are committed to doing more.

“Last year alone, our dedicated teams closed 462 illegal dump sites and prevented nearly 34,000 tonnes of waste from being illegally exported, showing that despite the challenges faced, we can make real change.

“Working closely with additional officers and other partners, we are bringing these criminals to justice and stopping illegal activities through stringent enforcement and prosecution.

“The public can also help stop waste criminals by reporting suspicious waste activity to our anonymous helpline.”