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Police are among the agencies failing to deal with fly tipping organized by Crime The group has been found to be a cross-party group of comrades.
The Environment Agency was also among those who criticized House of Lords For failing to deal with the issue.
In a letter to Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, the Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee called on the Government to set up an independent root-and-branch review of serious and organized waste crime.
The committee argued that fly-tipping was being given too low a priority despite its significant environmental, social and economic costs of approximately £1 billion each year.
The letter said: “We are deeply concerned about the clear inadequacy of the current approach to tackling waste crime.”
Peers also said they were “unhappy with the lack of interest shown by the police in fulfilling their role by bringing forward their expertise in tackling serious and organized waste crime”.
It comes after a short inquiry by the committee which heard from representatives of community groups as well as the Environment Agency, the Government, authorities, police and crime commissioners and others. waste management expert.
While the group of peers welcomed the government’s commitment to the shift to a circular economy to help end waste crime, it also called for a number of reforms to fight the issue.
This included the establishment of a joint unit for waste crime to improve co-operation between bodies at local level, particularly local government and policing and the handling of reports or sharing of intelligence.
Peers also called on the Treasury to review the rules governing the management of public funds to prevent the Environment Agency from shifting resources from its regulatory functions to crime enforcement as well as maintaining the extra funding provided to the Environment Agency over the next year.
He said ministers should fully assess the risks that landfill tax reform will lead to an increase in other types of waste crime and abandonment of landfill sites.
And the Department for the Environment (Defra) was urged to develop interim targets with a comprehensive set of metrics to measure progress.
Baroness Sheehan, chair of the committee, said: “During our investigation we heard that more than 38 million tonnes of waste (enough to fill Wembley Stadium 35 times) is being dumped illegally every year, mainly by established organized crime groups involved in drugs, firearms, money laundering and modern slavery.
“Despite the scale and seriousness of the crimes raised by members of the public in many cases, we have found numerous failings by the Environment Agency and other agencies, ranging from a slow response to repeated public reports (as in the case of Hodes Wood, Kent) to a stark lack of successful convictions.
“The government and other agencies must now act on our recommendations, including launching an independent review. There is no time to waste.”
Defra has been contacted for comment.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We recognize the recommendations of the report and are committed to doing more.
“Last year alone, our dedicated teams closed 462 illegal waste sites and prevented almost 34,000 tonnes of waste from being illegally exported – showing that we can make real change despite the challenges.
“Working closely with additional officers, and with other partners, we are bringing these criminals to justice and deterring illegal activity through strong enforcement action and prosecution.
“The public can help stop waste criminals by reporting any suspicious waste activities on our anonymous helpline.”