Events

Zero Tolerance: Tackling Waste Crime Through Partnership

Date:     Thursday 28th January 2027

Time:     10:00am - 2:40pm

Venue:  Digital Conference - Check Your System / Device Compatibility


  • Event Abstract
  • Programme
  • Key Speakers
  • Who Should Attend?
  • Marketing Opportunities

Waste crime has evolved from low level fly-tipping into an increasingly sophisticated form of criminality, costing the economy an estimated £1bn each year, undermining legitimate businesses and leaving communities, landowners and taxpayers to bear the consequences. Around 20% of waste in England is estimated to be illegally managed, with criminal networks linked to fraud, tax evasion, money laundering and wider serious and organised crime. Major illegal waste sites can also leave multimillion-pound clean-up bills, intensifying pressure to seize criminal assets, recover proceeds and ensure offenders pay for the damage they cause.

In March 2026, the Government published its landmark Waste Crime Action Plan, setting out a strengthened approach based on prevention, enforcement and remediation. Reforms include tighter regulation of the waste sector, mandatory digital waste tracking, stronger intelligence capabilities, greater use of drones and surveillance, tougher penalties and an enhanced Joint Unit for Waste Crime.

Last month, the Burnham Government announced a nationwide crackdown on the criminal gangs profiting from illegal waste, putting mayors and council leaders at the heart of new region-led approaches to coordinate councils, police, regulators and other enforcement agencies. New waste crime heat maps will also strengthen the intelligence picture, helping identify hotspots, target enforcement and disrupt criminal operations.

This timely digital conference brings together central and local government, police, the waste industry and other key partners to examine how this strengthened approach can be translated into action. The conference will explore how to bolster waste crime prevention, identify criminal activity earlier, improve intelligence-sharing, dismantle organised criminal networks and make waste crime a losing business.

Why Attend?

  • Hear directly from policymakers, local government leaders, police, regulators and other enforcement agencies
  • Interactive Question Time sessions with opportunities to engage with all speakers
  • Understand the Government’s new national approach to tackling waste crime, including implementation of the Waste Crime Action Plan and the Burnham Government’s latest crackdown on organised waste crime
  • Explore how organised criminal groups exploit the waste sector, including links with fraud, money laundering, tax evasion and other serious criminal activity
  • Improve intelligence-sharing and early identification, learning how data, financial intelligence and technology can identify waste crime hotspots and suspicious activity before it escalates
  • Explore how confiscation orders, asset recovery, vehicle seizures, financial investigation and other powers can target the profits that drive organised waste crime
  • Share ideas and best practice with professionals from local government, policing, Environment Agency, community safety and waste management sectors
  • On demand – Exclusive access to speaker presentations and post-event resources

    • Policy Paper - 20 March 2026: Waste Crime Action Plan

    News - 15 July 2026: War on waste crime: hefty new fines for fly-tippers and litter louts

    News - 16 July 2026: Operators have permits revoked in waste crack down

    News - 24 July 2026: Operation Unite: Nationwide crackdown marks new phase in fight against waste crime

    News - 30 July 2026: Multi-agency crackdown on waste crime across East Lancashire

    News - 19 August 2026: PM orders crackdown on the criminal gangs profiting from illegal waste and blighting communities

    News - 20 August 2026: Fly-tippers forced to pay up for the streets they trashed

    News - 2 September 2026: Rogue waste gangs exposed as heat maps reveal England's illegal dumping hotspots

    News - 1 October 2026: No hiding place: new tracking system exposes waste criminals like never before

    9:30am

    Delegate Online Login

    10:00am

    Introduction by Conference Organiser

    10:05am

    Chair's Welcome and Opening Remarks

    10:10am

    Keynote Address:

    Tackling Waste Crime – A National Update

  • Understanding the changing nature and scale of waste crime and its links to serious and organised crime
  • Implementing the Waste Crime Action Plan – strengthening prevention, enforcement and action to remediate illegal waste sites
  • Understanding the Government’s new region-led approach to tackling organised waste crime and strengthening multi-agency enforcement
  • Looking ahead to the Government’s long-term ambitions for reducing waste crime and creating a more resilient, legitimate waste sector

    • 10:30am

    Keynote Address: Questions and Discussion

    10:50am

    Comfort Break

    11:00am

    Panel Session One:

    Prevention, Partnership and Early Intervention – Stopping Waste Crime at Source

  • Identifying and reporting the warning signs of illegal waste activity to enable earlier intervention before criminal operations become established
  • Closing the regulatory gaps exploited by rogue operators through stronger controls on waste carriers, brokers and dealers, permits and exemptions
  • Using digital waste tracking, data and intelligence-sharing to identify waste crime hotspots, suspicious activity and high-risk operators
  • Preventing illegal waste sites from developing into large-scale supersites and protecting local communities from environmental and financial harm
  • Strengthening local and regional partnership working between councils, the Environment Agency, police, mayors and the waste industry to prevent waste crime and support legitimate businesses

    • 12:00pm

    Panel Session One: Questions and Discussion

    12:20pm

    Comfort Break

    1:10pm

    Panel Session Two:

    Disrupting Organised Waste Crime – Intelligence, Enforcement and Asset Recovery

  • Learning from the Joint Unit for Waste Crime – developing intelligence-led approaches to identifying and dismantling organised criminal networks
  • Strengthening coordinated enforcement between the Environment Agency, police, local authorities and regional partners
  • Following the money – using financial investigation, Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) powers and asset recovery to target the profits generated by waste crime
  • Using permit action, vehicle seizures, drones, surveillance and other disruption powers to make criminal operations increasingly difficult and unprofitable
  • Making criminals pay, not communities – Strengthening the recovery of proceeds and clean-up costs and developing effective approaches to the remediation of illegal waste sites

    • 2:10pm

    Panel Session Two: Questions and Discussion

    2:30pm

    Final Questions and Chair's Summary & Closing Comments

    2:40pm

    End of Digital Conference

    *Please note the programme and timings are subject to slight alteration without notice
    Policy Foresight

    Speakers Coming Soon...

    • Local Authority Officers & Councillors
    • Central Government Departments & Agencies
    • Directors of Waste, Environment and Environmental Services
    • Environment Agency Teams
    • Waste Management, Waste Regulation and Waste Enforcement Officers
    • Environmental Crime and Environmental Enforcement Officers
    • Heads and Directors of Community Safety
    • Community Safety and Crime Reduction Officers
    • Trading Standards Managers and Officers
    • Heads of Regulatory Services and Public Protection
    • Environmental Health Officers
    • Planning Enforcement Officers
    • Local Authority Trading Standards Teams (LATS)
    • Police & Crime Commissioners
    • Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs)
    • Organised Crime Police Teams
    • Heads of Economic Crime
    • Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs)
    • Community Safety Officers & Managers
    • Court Service, Judges & Magistrates

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