The UK government has formed a cross-agency group to tighten enforcement against organized waste crime, reporting 36 arrests since April 2026 as illegal sites continue to burden communities.
The Waste Crime Crackdown Group brings together ministers, police, regulators, local leaders and industry representatives. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said members will examine where waste controls leave openings for criminals and what prevents agencies from acting together.
Organized gangs profit from illegal dumping, while communities bear the consequences, the government said. Members are due to consider how agencies can coordinate information and respond to criminal networks. Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle will ask the group whether enforcement powers should be expanded. Eagle said the government intends to sustain efforts to break up the networks.
The Environment Agency (EA) is using drones more often to locate offenders, according to the government. Mayors are being given a larger role in tackling waste crime in their areas, and fines for illegal dumping can reach £5,000.
The government also plans to give the EA authority to confiscate cash and other assets bought with proceeds from waste crime. It is narrowing waste permit exemptions so they cover only low-risk activities.
The government said illegal sites at Kidlington and Hoad’s Wood have been cleared. Authorities are continuing cleanup work at the Midland Road site in Bradford and Bolton House Road in Wigan.
