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<p>The Government is committed to tackling waste crime, and we are preparing significant
reforms to continue to increase the pressure on illegal waste operators. Reform of
the waste exemptions regime will close loopholes and prevent exemptions from being
misused to permit risky and illegal activity. Our planned electronic waste tracking
reforms will make it harder than ever to mis-identify waste or dispose of it inappropriately.
Planned changes to the Carriers, Brokers and Dealers licensing regime will modernise
licensing and make it harder still for rogue operators to escape detection. These
will come in addition to measures in the Environment Act 2021 which gives agencies
stronger powers of entry and access to evidence in prosecuting waste crime as well
as providing the Environment Agency with the ability to recover costs of investigation,
intervention and enforcement at illegal or non-compliant waste sites.</p><p> </p><p>The
Government also launched the Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC). It brings together
the Environment Agency, HM Revenue & Customs, the National Crime Agency, the police,
waste regulators from across the UK and other operational partners to share intelligence
and tasking to disrupt and prevent serious organised waste crime. Since its launch
the JUWC has worked with 131 partner organisations and engaged in 253 multi-agency
days of action, which have resulted in 180 associated arrests by other agencies.</p><p>
</p><p>Alongside this we are working with stakeholders, such as the National Farmers
Union and local authorities, to share good practice including how to prevent fly-tipping
on private land. We are also currently funding a post within the National Rural Crime
Unit to explore how the police’s role in tacking fly-tipping can be optimised, with
a focus on rural areas.</p><p> </p><p>Across three rounds of our fly-tipping grant
scheme we have now awarded nearly £2.2 million to help more than 50 councils tackle
fly-tipping at known hot-spots, including in rural areas, such as by installing CCTV
and raising awareness of the household waste duty of care. Case studies from completed
projects have been published so that others can learn from successful interventions.</p>
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