AUTUMN 2025 DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 42
LOCAL AUTHORITY & COUNCIL
Waste crime is everyone’s
problem, but councils are
paying the price
By Paul Empson, General Manager, Bakers Basco
As someone on the frontline of
the UK’s waste-crime crisis, I
fully support Keep Britain Tidy’s
call for stronger enforcement.
But what really struck me in
their latest survey was just
how many local authorities are
feeling the pressure. With 98%
reporting 昀氀y-tipping in their
area and 70% calling it a major
problem, it’s clear that councils
are being asked to 昀椀ght an
uphill battle with limited tools
and even fewer resources.
At Bakers Basco, we work
closely with local authorities
across the country to trace and
recover stolen grocery delivery
equipment - reusable bread
baskets and dollies that are part
of our closed-loop system. What
we’ve seen mirrors the council
experience: a rise in organised,
pro昀椀t-driven waste activity, often
carried out by the same rogue
operators responsible for 昀氀ytipping.
These aren’t one-off acts of
carelessness; they’re deliberate
and repeat offences by people
exploiting weak regulation and
inconsistent enforcement.
For local authorities, the
consequences are twofold. First,
there’s the immediate 昀椀nancial
burden - the £100 to 150 million
annual clean-up cost cited by
Keep Britain Tidy is money that
could otherwise fund essential
public services. Second, there’s
the erosion of public trust.
Residents who see waste
dumped repeatedly in their area
lose faith that reporting it will
make a difference. Meanwhile,
legitimate businesses and
compliant operators suffer as
criminals undercut them.
It’s time to acknowledge that
waste crime is not simply an
environmental nuisance, it’s an
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organised criminal enterprise
and local government is on the
front line of defence. That’s
why I believe the proposed
National Fly-tipping Action
Plan must do more than call for
tougher penalties. It must equip
local authorities with the data,
coordination and enforcement
capability to act decisively.
Our own enforcement model
offers a glimpse of what’s
possible. We collaborate
with councils, police and
environmental enforcement
teams to share intelligence, track
stolen equipment and identify
repeat offenders. We use GPS
technology, CCTV evidence
and body-worn cameras to
gather admissible evidence,
and we see results. When local
authorities have access to clear
data and national coordination,
the difference is tangible. The
same approach could help
councils identify rogue waste
carriers faster and build stronger
prosecutions.
We also need to make it
easier for councils to work
across borders. Waste crime
rarely respects local boundaries,
yet too often councils operate
in silos. A central intelligencesharing platform, linked to
the Environment Agency and
supported by police forces, could
prevent duplication and ensure
that the same offenders aren’t
being pursued, or missed, by
multiple regions.
Finally, enforcement must go
hand in hand with prevention.
Councils need the funding and
昀氀exibility to promote legitimate
disposal options and to educate
residents about the risks of
using unlicensed “white-van”
collectors. Simpler waste-site
access, clearer communication
and shared responsibility from
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GOVERNMENT AND
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manufacturers and retailers
would all reduce the temptation
to take shortcuts.
Local authorities cannot carry
this burden alone. Businesses like
ours stand ready to assist, share
insight and coordinate action.
Together, we can make waste
crime a less pro昀椀table, higher-risk
venture for those who exploit the
system.
If we truly want to support
our councils and clean up
our communities, we must
stop treating 昀氀y-tipping as an
eyesore and start tackling it as
the organised economic and
environmental threat it
Paul Empson
has become. With joined-up
enforcement, shared intelligence
and stronger collaboration
between business and local
government, we can 昀椀nally begin
to turn the tide.
For any instances of equipment
misuse or to report suspicious
activity, please contact Bakers
Basco’s dedicated recovery
hotline at 08000 327323.
