Waste Crime in the UK : Environment Agency launches National Waste Crime Survey 2024-25
The Environment Agency (EA) is calling on industry and the public to take part in its third National Waste Crime Survey, launched on 3 February, to gain a better understanding of waste crime across England.
According to the EA, taking the time to respond to the survey is crucial to making England's approach to waste crime and waste management safer and more efficient, and helping to tackle crime. Knowing and understanding the public's experiences will help the Environment Agency to take the most effective action against waste criminals.
The Environment Agency will use the information provided by industry and the public through the survey to
- Measure the perceived scale and impact of waste crime in England
- Understand the deterrents that could stop people committing waste crime
- Measure the willingness of the public and industry to report waste crime
- Evaluate the effectiveness of actions taken by us and our partners to reduce waste crime.
The importance to collect data
The findings of the survey are vital in shaping the Environment Agency's strategic priorities, and the actions taken have resulted in the total number of illegal waste sites in operation falling to 344 last year - the lowest total on record. It has never been more important to gather more information on waste crime to ensure that this number continues to fall - not least because it is estimated to cost the economy in England a staggering £1 billion a year.
Steve Molyneux, Deputy Director of Waste and Resources Regulation at the Environment Agency, said: “With an estimated 18% of waste illegally managed we know that activities like illegal waste burning and shipping, mis-describing waste, and operating illegal sites cost the economy £1 billion a year.
Our National Waste Crime Survey is crucial for understanding the scale of these crimes and gathering insights from those directly affected. I encourage everyone impacted by waste crime to take part.
Your insight will enable us to continue to target waste criminals, stopping them from impacting our environment, communities, the legitimate waste management industry, and the economy.”
Waste Minister Mary Creagh added: “Waste criminals are a scourge on society, affecting rural and urban communities equally.
They make huge profits at the expense of the law-abiding majority, by not paying tax – not to mention the costs of cleaning up after them and making people feel unsafe in their neighbourhoods.
I urge people to take part in the Environment Agency’s survey to help us crack down on waste criminals and protect the environment.
The Environment Agency encourages all stakeholders to participate and help promote the survey to others who can help.”
The survey will be open for three weeks from 3 February 2025 and can be accessed online.