Government actions to combat waste crime

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 19 May 2022 Closed: 14 Dec 2022 Parliament page
Between 2004-05 and 2014-15, landfill tax on waste that emits greenhouse gases rose from £15 per tonne to £80 per tonne - a rise that saw the amount of waste sent to landfill reduce by 75% between 2010-11 and 2020-21. At the same time the money criminals could make by … Read more
26 Recommendations
2 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
2 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 6 events
12 Jan
2023
Correspondence
14 Dec
2022
Report published
19 Oct
2022
Report published
5 Jul
2022
Correspondence
15 Jun
2022
Oral evidence
15 Jun
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
15 Jun 2022
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Government’s actions to combat waste crime
Richard Las · HM Revenue and Customs Sir James Bevan · Environment Agency Tamara Finkelstein · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Eighteenth Report - Government actions to combat waste crime HC 33 19 Oct 2022 28 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
3 results
Clear
4 Recommendation Acknowledged
Eighteenth Report - Government act…
The current sanctions are not effective in deterring people from committing waste crime.
The current sanctions are not effective in deterring people from committing waste crime. Under the current regime almost anybody can register with the Agency as a waste carrier and present themselves to the public as a legitimate person to take … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation and aims to be more effective by reducing the drivers for waste offending, preventing opportunities for offending and improving deterrents. The agency is now working further upstream to prevent crime and harm before it happens, and the agency approach is more intelligence-led.
HM Treasury
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1 Conclusion Acknowledged
Eighteenth Report - Government act…
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence...
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Environment Agency (the Agency) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) about government actions to … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees that tackling waste crime is a priority and highlights existing steps like the RWS, but acknowledges that delivery has been slower than planned. They highlight future plans for reforms, consultations, and legislation related to waste management and producer responsibility, with the aim of eliminating waste crime by 2043.
HM Treasury
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18 Conclusion Acknowledged
Eighteenth Report - Government act…
The Agency told us how under the current regime almost anybody can register with it...
The Agency told us how under the current regime almost anybody can register with it as a waste carrier, broker or dealer and present themselves as a legitimate waste operator. Several organisations submitted evidence to our enquiry that demonstrated how … Read more
Government Response
The department is planning to publish the response on exemptions reform (planned for late 2022, implementation by 2024), introduce mandatory digital waste tracking (planned for 2024), reform the waste carriers, brokers and dealers’ regime (planned for 2024), consult on implementing financial provision through waste permitting in the sector (planned for 2024), and bring forward UK-wide legislation that sets out the requirements on producers under extended producer responsibility for packaging (planned for 2023).
HM Treasury
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Government Response AI assessment · 28 of 26 classified
Accepted 23
Acknowledged 3
Deferred 2
Total 26 recs + 2 conclusions
Correspondence 2 letters
12 Jan 2023 Correspondence from Tamara Finkelstein CB, Permanent Secretary, The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, re Waste Crime PAC: Follow up action, dated 21 December 2022
Parliament page
5 Jul 2022 Correspondence from Tamara Finkelstein, Permanent Secretary, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, re Waste Crime PAC: Follow-Up Response, dated 29 June 2022
Parliament page