Organized criminals have accidentally received incentives from the government to fly, according to a horrific report by the Court of Auditors.
From 2012-2013 in England, the number of tips increased on an annual basis and reached 1.13 million registered incidents in 2020-2021 – at a cost of £ 11.6 million to eliminate large-scale incidents.
The NAO said the big landfill tax increase has increased the amount of money criminals can make from waste-related crimes. The amount of waste sent to the landfill decreased by 75% between 2010-11 and 2020-21.
At the same time, there is an increase in the money that criminals can make by avoiding landfill taxes by misrepresenting waste, illegal waste disposal sites and certain types of fly-throwing. HM Revenue and Customs estimates that in 2019-2020, £ 200 million in landfill tax was not paid for non-compliance.
They also found that over the years, organized crime groups have become increasingly involved in waste crimes as they become more lucrative.
Gareth Davis, head of the NAO, said: “The available evidence shows that waste crime is on the rise and organized criminals are becoming more involved.
The government needs to focus resources effectively and understand what progress is being made towards eliminating waste-related crime by 2043. To do so, it will need a stable set of efficiency measures to identify when actions are off the rails. “
The government blamed the pandemic for slow progress in tackling fly-throwing, arguing that Defra’s resources should be diverted elsewhere.
The Liberal Democrats have accused the government of “legalizing rubbish”. In 2020-2021, incidents increased by 16% compared to the previous year, but the number of notices issued for fixed penalties decreased by 24% and the number of prosecutions decreased by more than 50%.
They called on the government to take action against illegal dumping by increasing court fines and investing the money raised in a “fly control fund” for local authorities. The party says if the average fine triples to £ 1,000, it could increase £ 1.3m a year to tackle fly-throwing.
Liberal Democrat spokesman Alistair Carmichael said: “Conservative ministers have effectively legalized rubbish by turning a blind eye to this fly epidemic. The amount stops with them and their failure to deal with it. “
The Labor Party has also criticized the Conservatives’ achievements on waste. Jim McMahon, the shadow secretary of state for the environment, food and rural affairs, said: country. “
Sir James Bevan, chief executive of the Environment Agency, said: “Waste crime is causing damage to people and places and is on the rise. That is why we have created a stable new strategy, which is led by intelligence, joint and high-tech, focused on the fight against the worst criminals.
“We are now sharing criminal intelligence with our partners, leading to the closure of more than 2,500 illegal landfills in the last three years.
“This is not an easy battle – but with the support of our partners, we are determined to keep up with criminals, exclude them from the system and move us to an economy where there is no room for waste crime.”
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