53% of people in England say waste crime negatively impacts their quality of life, new polling shows.
The new You-Gov research, commissioned by the charity Crimestoppers, found that 45% of people in England agree that waste crime makes their local area feel unsafe.
The polling also found that nearly two-thirds of people in England have noticed some form of waste crime in the last year, including fly‑tipping, illegal dumping, and unregulated waste sites.
52% of adults say they have seen dumped household or commercial waste in their local area, while nearly a quarter (23%) report witnessing illegal waste sites or dumping on land.
Crimestoppers has launched a new national campaign, in partnership with Defra and the Environment Agency, urging the public to speak up anonymously about waste crime.
Kate Johnston, Crimestoppers, said: “Waste crime is not a harmless crime. The fact that so many people are seeing this in their local area shows just how widespread the issue has become.”
Waste Minister Mary Creagh said the campaign is part of the government’s Waste Crime Action Plan and called for people to report any incidents.
Philip Duffy, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, commented: “We have seen how members of the public often have valuable information about suspicious activity but feel unable to come forward.”
“Through our Crimestoppers campaign, people can report concerns completely anonymously, helping us gather intelligence that will bring offenders to justice.”
