The Environment Agency has released new waste crime heatmaps, revealing that over 16,700 reports were submitted in 2023 and 2024 for suspected waste crime across England in the last two years.
Top 3 Areas For Waste Crime Reports:
- West Midlands: 2,008 reports
- Yorkshire: 1,791 reports
- East Anglia: 1,678 reports
Why This Matters for Your Business
Stricter Regulatory Scrutiny
In September 2023, a Worcestershire-based director and his company were ordered to pay nearly £110,000 following a case brought by the Environment Agency for the unlawful storage, treatment, and disposal of waste without an environmental permit.
The Financial Impact
The UK economy loses around £1 billion annually to waste crime, with 34 million tonnes of waste illegally managed each year. Authorities are determined to recover this cost.
The True Scale of the Issue
It’s estimated that a staggering 34,000 million tonnes of waste is illegally managed annually, enough to fill Wembley Stadium 30 times over or 4 million skips – but the true scale of offending is likely far greater due to under-reporting of incidents.
With data demonstrating that criminals blighting towns, cities, and countryside are active across the country, the Environment Agency is urging the public to report more suspected offending as it seeks to shut rogue operators out of the waste industry.
What You Can Do
🚮 Check your waste chain
Only use licensed waste carriers and verify disposal routes. You can check the public register to ensure your waste partners are legitimate.
🎓 Check your legal requirements
Maintaining clear documentation, such as waste transfer notes and hazardous consignment notes, of how your business waste is managed, is a legal requirement and will help protect your business from EA investigation. All Waste Duty of Care requirements can be found here.
📞 Report suspicious activity
Reports can be submitted via the Environment Agency’s 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or to Crimestoppers via their website or by calling 0800 555 111, which is always 100% anonymous.
We’re here to help – Contact us with any compliance-related questions or concerns.