Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Acknowledged
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence...
Conclusion
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 combat waste crime in England.1
Government Response Summary
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.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation Recommendation implemented Tackling waste crime is a government priority and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (the department) is taking forward the commitments in its Resources and Waste Strategy (RWS) as a priority. Although some delivery has been slower than originally planned, the government has already made a number of significant steps, both in the lead-up to the Strategy’s publication and since, delivering a number of the Strategy’s commitments to tighten the net on waste criminals and give them no place to hide. These include policy, regulatory and operational actions by the department, the Environment Agency (the agency) or HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The department has recently published the third edition of its annual dataset, enabling high level monitoring of progress against the strategy. This includes key indicators for waste crime: currently illegal waste sites, fly tipping and littering. The department is currently preparing further reforms to continue to increase the pressure on illegal waste operators. Looking ahead, the department’s plan is: • publishing the response on exemptions reform (planned for late 2022, implementation by 2024); • introducing mandatory digital waste tracking (planned for 2024); • reforming the waste carriers, brokers and dealers’ regime (planned for 2024); • consulting on implementing financial provision through waste permitting in the sector (planned for 2024); and • bringing forward UK-wide legislation that sets out the requirements on producers under extended producer responsibility for packaging (planned for 2023). ‘Seeking to eliminate waste crime’ is an objective set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan (25YEP), published in 2018. The 25YEP will be updated every five years through the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) process and a revised plan will be published in early 2023. The evaluation of the Resources and Waste Strategy will also be used to assess the impact of the department’s current measures towards eliminating waste crime by 2043. Together with additional research planned for 2023, this will inform decisions about the department’s next policy and regulatory reform priorities, as to seek to eliminate waste crime by 2043.