Written question asked by Callum Anderson (Labour) on Friday, 28 August 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by Emma Hardy (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 September 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Waste: Organised Crime

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of increased funding for the Environment Agency on tackling (a) large-scale organised waste crime and (b) fly-tipping.

Answer: Under the Waste Crime Action Plan, published in March 2026, the Government committed to giving the Environment Agency £45 million in additional funding to cover enforcement activities. This department will review the additional spending for the Environment Agency to ensure that investment is focused on effective action to tackle waste crime, including serious and organised waste crime and fly-tipping. Defra is working with the EA to develop improved measures for the scorecard, as well as considering an evaluation approach for the package of measures announced in the government’s Waste Crime Action Plan and the Prime Ministers recent announcement to crackdown on criminal gangs.

Secondary information