The waste sector recorded 146 serious pollution incidents in 2024, a 57 per cent increase from 93 incidents in 2023, according to the Environment Agency's second Chief Regulator's report published on 21 November.

The waste sector accounted for 23 per cent of all serious pollution incidents across England in 2024, the highest proportion of any regulated sector. The report outlines how increased inspection capacity and enforcement activity are exposing the true scale of environmental challenges while driving compliance improvements.

Dr Jo Nettleton, Chief Regulator at the Environment Agency (EA), commented: "The waste sector is a vital part of the service economy, playing an important role in environmental protection and sustainable growth. However, some operators continue to poorly manage sites, having an impact on communities, legitimate businesses, and the environment."

Landfill incidents rise

Landfill and deposit for recovery operations caused 76 serious pollution incidents in 2024, almost triple the 26 recorded in 2023. Of these, 63 related to odour pollution reported across 13 different landfills, with 65 per cent linked to four sites.

Walleys Quarry landfill in Newcastle-under-Lyme recorded the highest number of serious pollution incidents for landfills in 2024, with 15 Category One and Two incidents. Most resulted from odorous emissions of landfill gas, including elevated levels of hydrogen sulphide.

The EA issued a closure notice to the Walleys Quarry operator on 28 November 2024, requiring them to cease accepting new waste and begin permanently capping the site. After the operator appointed liquidators and disclaimed the permit on 28 February 2025, the regulator exercised its statutory powers to arrange steps to remove risks of serious pollution and control leachate using financial provision from the operator.

Six operational landfills were abandoned between 2023 and 2025, suggesting abandonment risks are increasing. The report notes that while abandonment has historically been prevalent at older closed landfills, the recent trend now also affects recent operational sites.

Waste treatment

The waste treatment sector, which includes facilities that process waste such as sorting, recycling, composting and materials recovery operations, caused 58 serious pollution incidents in 2024, the second highest in the waste sector. Most incidents involved amenity issues including noise, odour, smoke and dust, which can affect businesses and communities.

The EA has created customisable templates to help operators produce amenity management plans. These plans support operators to control amenity issues and reduce site impacts.

Overall the waste industry achieved 91 per cent compliance with permits in 2024. This compares to 95 per cent compliance for other sectors regulated through Environmental Permitting Regulations.

However, the agency identified 150 permits in the waste sector as persistent poor performers in 2024, representing 91 per cent of all such permits across regulated industries. These operators have consistently failed to meet environmental standards over multiple years.

Enforcement activity increases

The EA closed 143 high-risk illegal waste sites in 2024-25, exceeding its target of 90.

Over 90 per cent of the 295 enforcement notices served in 2024 were directed at the waste sector, predominantly at exporter sites, transfer stations and treatment facilities. There were 34 waste-related prosecutions, including 18 for registered companies or corporate entities and 16 for individuals.

Prosecution cases against the waste sector in 2024 resulted in total fines of approximately £320,000 and 37 custodial sentences. The regulator also issued 52 enforcement undertakings totalling £4 million in donations to environmental projects or improvements.

The EA's regulatory compliance activity in 2024 focused heavily on the waste sector, which accounted for 82 per cent of all site inspections conducted.

Waste crime

The report states that the agency also prevented the illegal export of 79,713 tonnes of waste in 2024. The total estimated revenue to the UK economy from waste prevented at ports and stopped at sites reached approximately £8.4 million.

It achieved these results through inspections of loads at ports, automated paperwork assessments and site interventions upstream in the supply chain. The report notes that 89 per cent of the UK's waste rubber is exported to India for recovery into secondary products.

The EA's Economic Crime Unit, established in 2024, secured five account freezing orders and one cash detention totalling £17,900 forfeited and £2.9 million frozen. The unit finalised 13 confiscation orders totalling £1.55 million.

Waste crime is estimated to cost the country £1 billion per annum. The 2025 National Waste Crime Survey highlighted that only 27 per cent of all waste crimes are estimated to be reported to the regulator.

Regulatory transformation plans

The report outlines the Environment Agency's plans to adopt data and intelligence-led approaches to enforcement. Key initiatives include automated waste returns analysis to detect anomalies and risks of non-compliance or illegal activity, advanced compliance profiling to target interventions, and integration of economic data to identify environmental insolvency risks.

Mandatory digital waste tracking will become available for all permitted and licensed sites receiving waste in April 2026, with phase one becoming mandatory from October 2026. Full implementation aims to ensure waste is directed to the right facilities whilst reducing opportunities for illegal transport and deposits.

Nettleton outlined the EA’s plans for a regulatory system by 2030 that is data-driven, transparent and adaptable to emerging challenges. This change includes moving from routine, time-based inspections to dynamic, risk-based approaches driven by predictive analytics and real-time data.

Philip Duffy, Environment Agency Chief Executive, added: "Our staff are delivering stronger environmental outcomes while transforming how we regulate. We are evolving to meet modern environmental and economic challenges by focusing on smarter, more effective regulation."

The waste sector handles 191 million tonnes of waste annually and contributes multiple billions to the UK economy. Notably, the report emphasised that thousands of responsible businesses are investing in innovation and delivering essential services with strong compliance levels.