Criminal gangs ruining environment, says watchdog

A BBC article highlights that ‘organised criminal groups are targeting the waste industry and “wreaking havoc” on the environment, according to the Environment Agency (EA).

The EA said investigations were “complex” and involved the agency, the police and local authorities.

If I hire a skip, is it possible to make sure my waste will be disposed of in the proper way?

There are checks that I can carry out online to find out if the company I choose has a waste carrier’s licence, but waste can go through a chain of other handlers for processing and government figures suggest nearly 20% of all waste operators are thought to engage in illegal activity.’

In order to ‘reduce the ability for waste criminals to operate and undercut legitimate businesses through their systemic mis-handling of waste, illegal exports, and flytipping’, Government intends to launch mandatory digital waste tracking in April 2026.

In the meantime, see our Advice page to reduce the risk of giving your waste to criminals and together we can reduce the environmental harms caused by waste crime.