Independent market research company Systra is conducting the anonymous online survey on the Agency’s behalf.
Commissioned by the Agency’s head of waste regulation, Steve Molyneux, the survey is also supported by trade associations including the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, the Environmental Services Association, the United Resource Operators Consortium and the National Farmers’ Union.
For the purposes of the survey, ‘waste crime’ refers to large-scale and small-scale fly-tipping, with the former referring to more than one lorryload of waste. The definition also includes waste sites operating without an environmental permit and illegal international shipments of waste, as well as the misdescription of waste. The Agency says waste crime costs the economy in England an estimated £1 billion annually.
Through the survey, the Agency is seeking to understand better the scale and impact of waste crime, what would deter people from committing it and the effectiveness of action taken.
The regulator encouraged anyone working within the waste industry, landowners, farmers, service providers, local authorities and those working in the insurance sector to respond. The survey runs until 27 February and can be completed here.
2021
The Environment Agency ran a similar survey in 2021, which found that 18% of waste was estimated to have been illegally managed, but only 25% of waste crime incidents were estimated to have been reported to the regulator (see letsrecycle.com story).
According to the previous survey’s findings, the misdescription of waste was perceived by the waste industry to be the most prevalent waste crime type, followed by the operation of illegal waste sites.
The 2021 survey also found Covid-19 to be “the most identified driver of the perceived increase in waste crime over the last 12 months”, with 62% of respondents reporting that it had led to an increase.
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