Environment secretary, Michael Gove, has launched a three-month review into serious and organised waste crime, which will run from June to September 2018.

The review was launched as part of a move to “beef up” the government’s approach in its fight to “tackle the scourge of waste crime.” However, fly-tipping and smaller waste crime incidents will not be examined as part of the review, unless they are linked to the project’s main objective of understanding “organised criminality.”

The main focus will be on organised criminal involvement regarding waste crime, characteristics of criminal enterprises, intelligence gathering and enforcement effectiveness across England only. The project will inform a strategic approach to waste crime, which will be published in the Resources and Waste Strategy Report later this year.

Mr Gove explained: “Organised criminals running illegal waste dumps and fly-tipping are blighting local communities. They cost our economy vast amounts of money, pollute our environment and harm our wildlife. We must crack-down on these criminals who have no regard for the impact they have on peoples’ lives. The time is right for us to look at how we can best tackle these antisocial and inexcusable crimes.”