The results of the 2025 National Waste Crime Survey were published by the Environment Agency on 23rd July 2025.
The survey is used to gain insight into the nature and scale of waste crime, as perceived by those experiencing it, for example the waste industry, landowners, and farmers.
Results can be viewed here : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-waste-crime-survey-2025
The first survey was run as a pilot in 2020, with repeat iterations run in 2021 and 2023. The results of the fourth survey (2025) summarise the experience of 764 respondents and illustrate the persistent scale of waste crime in 2025.
Waste industry respondents estimate that an average 20% of all waste may be illegally managed. The financial consequences of waste crime continue to be high; criminals are thought to be motivated to misdescribe waste to avoid regulations and evade landfill tax meanwhile landowners and the waste industry suffer the impacts through harm to their businesses and the financial costs of clean up.
The findings will be used to inform the Environment Agency’s strategic approach to tackling waste crime.
Please feel free to share our press release/social media posts with colleagues :
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-survey-shows-just-27-of-all-waste-crime-incidents-reported
And if you have any questions, please contact me.
Jane Sansbury
