The government and Environment Agency have announced a wider crackdown on organised waste crime, combining stronger intelligence work, police and National Crime Agency involvement, more frontline Environment Agency activity and tougher enforcement against illegal waste sites.
The announcement on 19 August 2026 follows a series of permit suspensions, revocations, restriction orders and investigations across England. For legitimate developers, contractors and waste producers, the relevance is not limited to obviously criminal waste operators. It is a reminder that waste duty of care starts with the person producing or controlling the material.
Why construction and remediation projects should pay attention
Earthworks, demolition and remediation can generate large volumes of soil, made ground, concrete, brick, mixed demolition material and other arisings. Once material becomes waste, its classification, storage, transfer, transport and destination all matter.
Using a cheap or convenient disposal route without understanding the material or checking the receiving operation can expose a project to delay, rejected loads, additional disposal charges and regulatory risk.
The Environment Agency’s current enforcement programme is specifically intended to identify persistent poor performers and illegal sites more quickly. The August announcement also highlighted greater use of intelligence, vehicle and site information to disrupt organised waste activity.
Waste classification remains the starting point
Before waste is moved, the producer needs enough information to describe and classify it correctly. For soils and demolition arisings this may require a review of site history, visual information and chemical testing so that the correct waste codes and hazardous properties can be established.
Waste classification is not the same thing as Waste Acceptance Criteria testing. Classification establishes what the waste is and whether it is hazardous. WAC testing is used where required to assess whether certain waste can be accepted at a particular class of landfill.
That distinction becomes especially important when projects are under programme pressure. A WAC laboratory result on its own does not replace the producer’s duty to classify the waste correctly.
Check where the waste is going
Waste duty of care also means taking reasonable steps to ensure waste is transferred to an authorised person and managed appropriately. Project teams should check the carrier and receiving facility rather than relying solely on a broker, haulage instruction or verbal assurance.
Where material is being sent to a permitted site, the waste must also be compatible with the site’s permit and acceptance procedures. A permit does not automatically allow a facility to receive every waste type.
Digital waste tracking increases the importance of good data
The enforcement announcement comes shortly before the first mandatory phase of the government’s digital waste tracking service. From 1 October 2026, permitted and licensed waste receiving sites in England and Wales enter the first mandatory reporting phase.
Better digital records should make waste movements more transparent, but digital tracking does not correct poor classification. The description, code, quantity and parties involved still need to reflect the actual waste movement.
Practical steps before waste leaves site
For a development or remediation project, a sensible pre-disposal process is to establish what materials are likely to arise, separate distinct waste streams where practical, obtain representative testing where needed, complete the classification before loads are booked and confirm the proposed receiving route is authorised and appropriate.
Where materials may be suitable for reuse rather than disposal, that should be considered early as part of the materials and remediation strategy rather than after they have already been treated as waste.
EnviroSolution provides waste classification and WAC support alongside contaminated-land investigation and environmental permitting. If you have soil results, a site investigation report or a schedule of proposed excavation materials, send them through our enquiry builder and we can advise on the evidence likely to be required.