UK authorities resort to drone squad to tackle waste crime

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The Environment Agency (EA) has announced an enhanced package of enforcement measures centred on a 33-strong drone squad, with trained pilots tasked with identifying and mapping illegal waste sites from the air.

Some of the drones are being upgraded with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) capability, enabling the capture of high-resolution topographical data to support investigations and court proceedings.

Construction waste including soil, rubble, plasterboard and other demolition arisings can form part of the material dumped illegally at unauthorised sites.

The EA said improved mapping will allow officers to pinpoint precisely where waste has been deposited, strengthening evidence for prosecutions.

The expanded drone operation forms part of a wider crackdown that includes new digital screening tools and additional specialist investigators. According to the EA, its drones have flown 272 hours since July last year, with an increased focus on waste crime.

Alongside aerial monitoring, the EA has introduced new software to cross-check Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) operator licence applications against its own public registers of waste permits and carrier licences.

Each week, data published by the Office of the Traffic Commissioner is scanned against EA records, allowing officers to flag operators who may be attempting to move waste without the appropriate authorisations.

The tool has been trialled in East Anglia, where it identified a company that had relocated its HGV operating centre in an attempt to avoid enforcement action.

The agency has also expanded the Joint Unit for Waste Crime from 13 to 20 specialists, including former police officers. The unit works alongside local EA enforcement teams, police forces and the National Crime Agency to target organised criminal networks involved in illegal waste activity.

The latest measures follow what the agency described as a record year for enforcement, with 751 illegal waste sites shut down and 221 prosecutions secured up to March 2025.