Written Question·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs·UIN 62632

Waste: Crime

Tabled: 25 June 2025
Answered: 2 July 2025

Question

Wendy Morton

Conservative — Aldridge-Brownhills

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an estimate of the annual profits generated by organised criminals who engage in waste crime.

Answer

Mary Creagh
It is estimated that waste crime costs the UK economy around £1 billion per year. However, it is impossible to assess how much of this is “profit” for organised criminals.