Sam Brackley and Matthew Kendall, Senior Advisors at the Environment Agency, share the results of their multi-agency campaign to prevent high-risk illegal waste sites and the misdescription of waste, which focused on waste carriers, brokers, and dealers, as well as waste exemptions.
As part of the UK Government’s strategy to tackle waste crime, they are reforming the waste carriers, brokers and dealers (CBD) and waste exemptions (WEX) regimes.
These regulatory reforms aim to raise standards in the waste industry, support legitimate businesses, reduce criminal activity and safeguard people and the environment.
Ahead of these changes, several of our area teams participated in a targeted campaign involving site inspections and roadside stops with partners including local authorities, police forces, the Joint Unit for Waste Crime, the National Rural Crime Agency and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.
Both the current CBD and WEX regimes have weaknesses which contribute to illegal waste activities. This campaign aimed to raise awareness of the impacts of misclassification and illegal disposal of waste and the importance of record keeping, to prevent and disrupt illegal waste sites, aligning with the aims of CBD and WEX regulatory reform.
Carrying out this targeted compliance and enforcement work will help inform our approach and ways of working once the reforms are implemented.
From 1 July 2025, most businesses will be required to pay to register their waste exemptions. These charges will enable the Environment Agency to recover the costs of providing our services and better regulatory oversight.
Stopping unregistered CBDs
Our officers took part in more than 15 days of multi-agency roadside stops to identify unregistered waste carriers and non-compliance with Duty of Care requirements.
Dorset’s Police and Crime Commissioner, David Sidwick, who has a keen interest in serious and organised crime in the waste sector, attended one of the stops and said: “Effectively tackling waste crime and identifying perpetrators requires a joined-up approach between partners, and that’s why the Environment Agency, Dorset Police and the other four forces across the Southwest have been working together over the last year.
“Criminals do not see county borders when it comes to waste crime, and now neither do we. It is crucial that information, intelligence and forensic capacity are shared if we are to continue with driving down waste and other environmental crime. Operation Ragwort, set up across the southwest region, creates a protective ring of steel around our rural communities, and I am proud of our collective results.
“My office will continue our close relationship with partner agencies to fight against those blighting our countryside and profiting from criminality, in Dorset and beyond our ‘borders’.”
These days of action resulted in 250 vehicles being stopped. 10 vehicles were seized and local authorities issued Fixed Penalty Notices and Producer Notices (requiring presentation of documents in a fixed time period of time) to unregistered carriers and carriers without waste transfer notes.
Using intelligence gathered on these roadside stops, we are now carrying out more detailed audits on some of these waste carriers, as well as further investigation into newly identified illegal waste sites.
Waste exemption compliance
During the campaign, our officers also carried out over 80 inspections of sites with registered waste exemptions to assess compliance and raise awareness of impending WEX reforms (Reforming the waste exemptions system – GOV.UK).
To support operators who will be affected by WEX reforms, our officers shared what action sites would need to take to either comply with the revised exemptions, cease their waste activity or continue their waste activities by applying for a permit.
Over 50 waste exemptions have since been deregistered due to non-compliance, being non-operational, or duplicate registrations. One joint visit with HMRC resulted in the seizure of assets, including cash and vehicles, due to the operator owing a significant amount in tax.
Regulatory reform provides protection for industry
Reform of the CBD and WEX regimes is a positive step forward to support legitimate operators in the waste industry, protecting their share of the market from those who seek to undercut them by operating illegally.
Although CBDs must be registered with the Environment Agency, the current registration system does not differentiate between small and large businesses, or the risks posed by the types and quantities of waste handled or managed by them.
This makes it hard for us to target high-risk waste operators properly, meaning CBD compliance and enforcement work has been reactive rather than proactive. This will change under the new system, meaning we can better protect the waste industry from illegal operators.
The WEX regime is abused by those committing waste crime by providing offenders with an air of legitimacy. Regulatory changes will remove high-risk exemptions and tighten other areas of the regime to stop this from happening.
Additionally, until now, the Environment Agency has not had dedicated funding to allow consistent, national monitoring of compliance. Funds generated through the new WEX charges will enable better compliance monitoring and improved digital systems and guidance, supporting our work to eradicate crime from the waste sector and provide robust protection for the environment.
Power in partnership
Ridding the waste sector of crime is a collaborative effort. Much of our work is done with partners, which brings together a wealth of knowledge, powers, intelligence and skills to target those who are intent on exploiting the waste sector and causing harm to the environment in the process.
This campaign enabled our teams to build on existing and develop new partnerships that will go on to strengthen our fight against waste criminals.
Working together, we, our fellow regulatory and law enforcement agencies and waste industry partners can stop waste crime.
Anyone who suspects or knows about illegal waste activities should report it to Crimestoppers, 100% anonymous: 0800 555 111 or online: Giving information anonymously | Crimestoppers.
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