Profits from waste crime 'outweigh' sanctions, says auditor
- Andrea Stephenson-Hemmings
- Jul 3
- 1 min read
A damning report into the regulation of the waste industry in Northern Ireland found potential profits from waste crime "far outweigh" the sanctions and current measures are not achieving "best value for money".
The investigation by the Northern Ireland Audit Office, external said the Northern Ireland Environment Agency's (NIEA) approach requires "significant improvement" to effectively identify and deter crime.
It adds that waste crime could be estimated to cost about £34m per year, when costs of rectifying environmental and social harm, evaded taxes, and lost legitimate business are taken into account.
It said cleaning up illegal dumping is a "significant cost" to the public purse.