National waste crime survey 2023
The Environment Agency's waste crime survey for 2023.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
The Environment Agency set up the national waste crime survey to gain insight into the nature and scale of waste crime in England, as perceived by those experiencing it. This is an independent metric on waste crime, unaffected by Environment Agency operational resources or pressures. It aims to understand the scale of waste crime, what motivates and deters waste criminals, and explores respondents’ opinions on the effectiveness of the Environment Agency in tackling waste crime.
Earlier iterations of the survey ran in 2020 and 2021, and showed how widespread waste crime is, with respondents estimating that 18% of all waste is illegally managed.
In February 2023, members of the waste industry, service providers (such as local authorities and environmental consultants) and landowners/farmers were invited to anonymously complete the third iteration of the survey. Respondents are therefore a self-selecting group, focussing on their own experiences of waste crime.