Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs written question – answered at on 23 November 2022.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the amount of waste managed illegally in England in each of the last five years.
The Environment Agency’s National Waste Crime Survey in 2021 suggested that 18% of all waste was perceived to be illegally managed at some point. The second iteration of the survey due to be repeated in early 2023.
Estimating the amount of waste managed illegally in England is challenging due to the nature of the waste crime. Waste crime is geographically dispersed, involves a large number of groups and individuals who actively seek to avoid detection by the Environment Agency and where violence and intimidation to deter reporting can be common. The Environment Agency has begun to estimate this figure, and can only provide data for the last year. Earlier this year we consulted on our proposals for the implementation of mandatory digital waste tracking. Digital records of waste movements will allow regulators to detect when waste doesn’t reach a site which is licenced to accept it, which may indicate illegal activity.
Yes0 people think so
No0 people think not
Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.