- A cross-party group of peers has criticised the police and Environment Agency for failing to adequately tackle serious and organised waste crime, including fly-tipping.
- The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee called for an independent root and branch review into waste crime, which incurs environmental, social and economic costs of approximately £1 billion annually.
- Peers expressed deep concern over the “demonstrable inadequacy” of the current approach and the “lack of interest shown by the police” in fulfilling their role.
- Key recommendations include establishing a joint unit for waste crime, reviewing Treasury rules on public money for the Environment Agency and assessing the risks of landfill tax reform.
- Committee chairwoman Baroness Sheehan highlighted that over 38 million tonnes of waste are illegally dumped each year, mainly by organised crime groups, citing multiple agency failings and a “woeful lack of successful convictions”.
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