Defra announced today (30th April 2025) that it will launch a “rapid review” of red tape currently blocking councils from seizing and crushing vehicles belonging to waste criminals; and will introduce new legislation which could see criminals caught transporting and dealing with waste illegally face up to five years in prison. 

While the headlines from today’s announcement focus on fly-tipping, as a visible symbol of waste crime in all its forms, today’s announcement also suggests that the Environment Agency will carry out identity and criminal record checks on operators in the sector going forward. To do this, the EA will be given more resources and will now be able to fund the cost of policing waste crime through permit fees. These reforms could also give the EA more power to revoke permits, as well as issue enforcement notices and hefty fines.  

The ESA has long been calling for regulatory reform to tackle the ease with which criminals can enter the industry under a veil of legitimacy and operate with little risk of being caught, while facing very soft penalties even if prosecuted. In 2023, the ESA wrote an open letter to the Environment Agency calling for greater resources for the EA; stronger enforcement; and fast-tracking of regulatory reform, so the ESA welcomes today’s announcement as a sign that progress is being made on these fronts. 

Executive Director of the Environmental Services Association (ESA), Jacob Hayler, said:“For too long, criminality has run rampant across the waste sector. These illegal activities threaten the environment; damage communities and undermine legitimate recycling and waste operations. ESA has long campaigned for tighter rules, tougher enforcement and harsher penalties to deter criminals, so we very much welcome today’s announcement about coming reforms and hope that they are put to good use driving criminals out of our sector. 

In particular, reform of the carriers, brokers, dealers and exemption regimes, coupled with strong and effective enforcement from the regulators, could go a long way to help tackle the scourge of waste crime, with increased scrutiny and accountability making it much harder for criminals to operate in our sector.

The ESA has been calling for reform of the Carries, Brokers, Dealers and exemption regimes for nearly a decade now, since this was first proposed by Government in 2018 and, while long overdue, we are glad that this now seems to be coming to fruition.”