Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC)
The Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC) is a multi-agency taskforce. It works in partnership to tackle serious and organised crime in the UK waste industry.
National waste crime survey
The Environment Agency 2025 National Waste Crime Survey is open.
Take part to tell us how waste crime is affecting you. Your insights and experiences help to build better intelligence to stop waste criminals faster.
Who should respond?
Anyone working within the waste industry, landowners, farmers, service providers, local authorities and those working in the insurance sector, are encouraged to participate.
Complete the survey
Complete the national waste crime survey
It takes a maximum of 15 minutes to complete.
Survey closing date
The closing date is Sunday 23 February 2025.
Terms of reference
The JUWC works to and applies the Home Office definition of serious and organised crime (SOC). This is ‘individuals planning, coordinating and committing serious offences, whether individually, in groups and/or as part of transnational networks’.
JUWC priorities:
- prepare – reduce the impact of waste criminality where it takes place
- prevent – prevent people from engaging in serious and organised crime
- protect - our interventions and activity will protect the UK’s critical infrastructure, environment, and communities
- pursue – prosecute and disrupt people engaged in serious and organised criminality
Membership
The JUWC is comprised of 11 enforcement organisations and 2 partners that represent the waste industry.
JUWC partners are:
- Environment Agency
- Natural Resources Wales
- Scottish Environmental Protection Agency
- Northern Ireland Environment Agency
- His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs
- Police
- National Fire Chiefs Council
- British Transport Police
- National Crime Agency
- Revenue Scotland
- Welsh Revenue Authority
- Environmental Services Association
- Chartered Institute for Waste Management
Meeting dates
The JUWC oversight board meet on a quarterly basis.
Reports
We will link to published reports once they are published.
Contact details
If you would like to work with the Unit or discuss becoming a partner in the Unit, contact us: JUWC@environment-agency.gov.uk.
Reporting waste crime
If you have any information about illegal activity in the waste sector, we encourage you to report it. You can:
- share it directly with the Unit at: JUWC@environment-agency.gov.uk, (information sharing only, for reporting incidents see below)
- contact the Environment Agency incident hotline number (24 hour service) on 0800 80 70 60
- report anonymously to Crimestoppers: Giving information anonymously
You can also anonymously report serious concerns about your employer if you suspect wrongdoing in an area we regulate:
Further information
Read guidance on waste environmental permits.
View our public register for waste carriers, brokers and dealers.
Watch a recorded webinar about tackling criminal activity within the waste industry. You will need to register to view this.