Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle has formed a new Waste Crime Crackdown Group bringing together ministers, police, regulators and local authority leaders to step up enforcement against organised waste crime, according to a government announcement published on 4 November 2026.

The group's stated aim is to identify weaknesses in the waste system that criminals exploit and to remove blockers to change. At its first meeting, members are due to discuss ramping up enforcement against gangs profiting from illegal dumping and improving how intelligence is shared. The Environment Secretary is expected to ask the group to examine where enforcement powers can go further.

The government reported that since April this year 36 arrests have been made, with prosecutions, investigations and raids carried out across the country. It said Environment Agency officers are using more drones, Mayors are being given a bigger role in tackling waste crime locally, and fines have increased. It also said the illegal sites at Kidlington and Hoad's Wood have been completely cleared, with suspects arrested while investigations continue, and that work continues at sites including Bolton House Road in Wigan and Midland Road in Bradford.

Cited measures include fines of up to £5,000, planned powers for the Environment Agency to confiscate assets bought with the proceeds of waste crime, and tighter Waste Permit Exemptions. Environment Agency chief executive Philip Duffy said the group would work to stop criminals getting hold of waste in the first place.