Select Committee · Environment and Climate Change Committee

Waste Crime

Status: Open Opened: 29 Jul 2025
Inquiry scopeThis short inquiry will consider waste crime, with a focus on serious and organised waste crime such as illegal waste sites and illegal dumping that pose a serious environmental risk. The inquiry will seek to understand the avenues for and prevalent forms of waste crime and their impacts. It will also aim to assess the efficacy of current regulatory, monitoring and enforcement regimes and consider the Government's plans to address the problem.

Oral evidence sessions

5 sessions

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Date Session and witnesses Source
25 Mar 2026 Malcolm Lythgo · Environment Agency, Philip Duffy · Environment Agency View ↗
18 Mar 2026 James Cruddas · Defra, Rt Hon Emma Reynolds MP · Defra, Sally Randall · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs View ↗
17 Sep 2025 Emma Bourne · Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Mary Creagh MP · Defra, Phil Davies · Environment Agency, Richard Las CBE · HM Revenue and Customs, Steve Molyneux · Environment Agency View ↗
10 Sep 2025 David Sidwick · Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, Dr Anna Willetts · UK Environmental Law Association Waste Working Party, Mr Matthew Scott · Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent View ↗
3 Sep 2025 Dan Cooke · Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, Donald Macphail · Veolia, Mr Sam Corp · Environmental Services Association (ESA) View ↗

Who gave evidence

16 witnesses

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WitnessOrganisationSessions
Dan Cooke · Director of Policy, Communications and External Affairs Chartered Institution of Wastes Management 1
David Sidwick · Commissioner Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset 1
Donald Macphail · Chief Operating Officer, Treatment and Hazardous Waste, UK Veolia 1
Dr Anna Willetts · Co-Convener UK Environmental Law Association Waste Working Party 1
Emma Bourne · Director General for EU Reset and Trade Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs 1
James Cruddas · Deputy Director for Waste and Recycling Defra 1
Malcolm Lythgo · Deputy Director of Waste Enforcement and Regulation Environment Agency 1
Mary Creagh MP · Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Nature) Defra 1
Mr Matthew Scott · Commissioner Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent 1
Mr Sam Corp · Head of Regulation Environmental Services Association (ESA) 1
Phil Davies · Manager of the Joint Unit for Waste Crime Environment Agency 1
Philip Duffy · Chief Executive Environment Agency 1
Richard Las CBE · Director of Fraud Investigation Service HM Revenue and Customs 1
Rt Hon Emma Reynolds MP · Secretary of State Defra 1
Sally Randall · Director General - Environment Group Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 1
Steve Molyneux · Deputy Director, Waste Regulation Environment Agency 1

Correspondence

16 letters

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PublishedDirectionLetter
4 Jun 2026 From committee Letter to the Environment Agency on 25 March oral evidence session follow-up on waste crime 04.06.2026
4 Jun 2026 To committee Letter from the Environment Agency on high priority waste sites list 22.05.2026
4 Jun 2026 To committee Letter from the Environment Agency on 25 March oral evidence session follow-up on waste crime 19.05.2026
13 May 2026 From committee Letter to the Environment Agency on waste crime letter dated 24 March with corrected data 13.05.2026
27 Apr 2026 To committee Letter from the Environment Agency on waste crime letter dated 24 March with corrected data 22.04.2026
15 Apr 2026 To committee Letter from the Environment Agency on waste crime oral evidence session pre-questions 24.03.2026
15 Apr 2026 To committee Letter from SoS for Defra on waste crime and publication of Waste Crime Action Plan 23.03.2026
15 Apr 2026 To committee Letter from Baroness Hayman for Defra on waste crime 23.03.2026
15 Apr 2026 To committee Letter from the Environment Agency on 10 Point Action Plan on waste crime 20.03.2026
3 Feb 2026 To committee Letter from Baroness Sheehan to Baroness Hayman Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Defra on waste crime 03.02.2026
28 Jan 2026 To committee Letter from Baroness Hayman to Baroness Sheehan on waste crime 26.01.2026
7 Jan 2026 To committee Letter from Environment Agency on waste crime 16.12.2025
15 Dec 2025 To committee Letter from Baroness Sheehan to SoS for Defra on waste crime 15.12.2025
10 Dec 2025 To committee Letter from SoS for Defra on waste crime 09.12.25
5 Dec 2025 To committee Letter from Baroness Sheehan to the Environment Agency on waste crime 05.12.2025
28 Oct 2025 From committee Policy Letter to SoS for Defra on waste crime 28.10.25