The government has today launched its new Waste Crime Action Plan – the toughest ever crackdown on illegal waste – backed by an additional £45 million for the Environment Agency to pursue fly-tippers and organised criminal gangs across England. 

Waste crime costs the economy £1 billion every year, with nearly 1.3 million incidents of fly-tipping recorded last year alone. 

In Crewe & Nantwich, I hear regular reports from local businesses and residents in built-up areas that say illegal waste is creating dangerous conditions for families and an unpleasant environment for customers. Across rural parts of the constituency, farmers are having to deal with costly and hazardous rubbish dumps on their land. 

The criminal networks behind waste crime are growing more sophisticated, using front companies, false permits and organised logistics to evade authorities. 

Since Labour came into power, we’ve bolstered the Joint Unit for Waste Crime, expanding it from 13 to 20 specialists – including former police officers, intelligence analysts and financial investigators – and secured 122 prosecutions from July 2024 to end of 2025, resulting in 10 immediate custodial sentences. 

The government has also developed new technologies to tackle illegal waste dumping, including a new drone squad — 33 trained pilots using laser mapping (Lidar) technology to identify and evidence illegal sites and new HGV screening software to identify suspect operators before they begin operating. 

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has launched a Waste Crime Action Plan, which gives the Environment Agency stronger powers to prosecute fly-tipping and make those responsible pay for the clean-up. 

What the Plan Delivers: Prevent, Enforce, Clean Up 

Closing the loopholes that criminals exploit 

• Raising the bar for anyone who handles waste with new fit and proper person tests – ensuring operators are competent and cannot hide behind false credentials.
• Moving to light-touch digital waste tracking so regulators can follow every load of waste in real time.
• Wider use of restriction notices – powers to halt illegal operationsimmediately, with up to 51 weeks’ imprisonment for non-compliance.
• Naming and shaming illegal waste operators publicly for the first time.

Giving authorities the tools they need 

• £45 millionadditionalfunding for the Environment Agency over three years for waste crime enforcement. 
• New police-style powers under PACE forEnvironment Agencyenforcement officers – searching premises, seizing assets and arresting without a warrant. 
• Penalty points on driving licences for fly-tipping, with the most serious offenders risking full licence revocation.
• A new Operational Waste Intelligence and Analysis Unit – combining aerial surveillance, financialintelligenceand geospatial data. 
• Increased use of drones, lasertechnologyand financial investigations against organised criminal gangs. 
• Clean-up squads – conditional cautions requiring fly-tippers to complete up to 20 hours of unpaid community clean-up work.