Peers say ‘woeful’ record on prosecutions has led to a ‘low-risk, high-reward’ criminal culture
Organised crime groups in the UK are making millions every year from illegally dumping and burning rubbish, peers have told ministers, after an inquiry found a lack of enforcement made it a “low-risk, high-reward” criminal enterprise.
“Criminality is endemic in the waste sector,” a Lords committee told the government on Tuesday, after it found at least 38m tonnes of waste was illegally managed every year, “leading to serious environmental, economic and social consequences”.
Within 18 months, officials must carry out a “root and branch review” of responses to waste crime, explaining why so many serious transgressions have been allowed and ending a “merry-go-round” where members of the public trying to report crimes are passed from agency to agency with none taking responsibility, the report said.
The letter on Tuesday to Emma Reynolds, the environment secretary, followed an investigation by the Lords environment and climate change committee that found multiple failures by authorities responsible for tackling illegal waste dumping.
