Crackdown on waste crime as tougher action targets fly-tipping in Dudley - Sonia Kumar MP

New plans would force fly-tippers to clean up their own mess, increase fines to £5,000 and target organised waste crime gangs.

New consultation launched on “clean-up squads”, forcing fly-tippers to clear up the mess they create and repay clean-up costs.

Environment Agency waste fines set to rise from £300 to £5,000.

Police, the National Crime Agency and councils will work more closely to tackle organised waste crime.

Mayors and local leaders will play a greater role in coordinating enforcement across their regions.

Sonia Kumar MP has welcomed a major new Government crackdown on waste crime, with tougher penalties for fly-tippers and stronger powers to tackle the organised criminal gangs behind illegal dumping.

The Labour Government has announced a sweeping package of measures designed to make England’s streets cleaner, hit organised waste criminals harder and put pride back into local communities. The plans include tougher enforcement, greater involvement from the police and National Crime Agency, and significantly higher financial penalties for waste offences.

The announcement will be particularly welcome in Dudley, where residents regularly raise concerns about fly-tipping, overflowing rubbish and illegal dumping blighting neighbourhoods and town centres.

Waste crime costs England’s economy around £1 billion every year, with an estimated 20% of all waste being managed illegally. The Government says criminal gangs are profiting from illegal waste sites while leaving communities to deal with the consequences.

Under an eight-week consultation launched today, councils could gain stronger powers to require fly-tippers to complete up to 20 hours of unpaid clean-up work, clearing streets and parks, while also repaying the cost of removing the waste they dumped.

The crackdown also includes:

Environment Agency Fixed Penalty Notices for waste offences increasing from £300 to £5,000.

New powers allowing authorities to confiscate criminal assets without the previous two-year time limit.

Greater use of drones, satellite imagery and artificial intelligence to identify illegal waste activity.

Phase Two of Operation UNITE, targeting priority operators, vehicles, transport routes and illegal waste sites.

26-08-20 – DEFRA – Waste Crime Crackdown PLP Briefing.pdf

Sonia Kumar MP said:

“Residents across Dudley are rightly fed up with seeing streets, alleyways and public spaces blighted by fly-tipping and illegal dumping.

“This isn’t just littering—it’s organised criminal activity that damages our communities, harms the environment and leaves taxpayers picking up the bill.

“That’s why I welcome these tougher measures. If someone chooses to dump waste illegally, they should help clean it up, repay the cost and face much tougher penalties.

“I’ll continue working with local agencies to make sure Dudley benefits from these stronger powers and that persistent waste crime is tackled wherever it happens.”

The Government says the package builds on enforcement already underway this year. Since April, there have been 84 successful prosecutions, more than £1.6 million in fines, 23 arrests, and over 30 new criminal investigations linked to Operation UNITE.

Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said:

“This isn’t just about people dumping rubbish. Large-scale waste sites are fuelled by serious organised crime, and we need to use the full force of the law to tackle it and root it out at source.

“Communities have been subjected to horrendous conditions and denied the pride they deserve in the places they call home. This ends now.”