May 2015: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) highlighted the challenge of tackling organized crime related to waste dumping and waste-related fraud, in its report, ‘Waste Crime, Waste Risks: Gaps in Meeting the Global Waste Challenge.’ The report assesses the extent and scale of waste-related crime, regarding material including electronic waste (e-waste), decommissioned ships, oil, car tires and counterfeit pesticides.

The report highlights the difficulty of reaching clear estimates of waste that is handled informally, including illegally, since much waste is dealt with in the informal economy. The authors estimate that the value of e-waste alone in the informal economy could amount to US$12.5-18.8 billion per year.

Waste crimes include dumping large quantities of waste that is intended for treatment, falsifying customs documents to transport and dump waste in poor countries, and shipping toxic material and e-waste without appropriate treatment. The authors conclude that “no other area of organized crime…provides such a significant opportunity for money laundering and tax fraud as waste disposal, with its near complete lack of monitoring, statistics or reporting.”

They recommend a range of measures including strengthening awareness, monitoring and information about the illegal shipment of waste; strengthening national legislation and enforcement capacities, for example, through the application of Green Customs Initiative (GCI) protocols; strengthening international treaties and compliance measures through existing networks such as UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and INTERPOL; and exploring synergies with ongoing actions to combat illegal trade in wildlife and ozone-depleting substances (ODS). [Publication: Waste Crime, Waste Risks: Gaps in Meeting the Global Waste Challenge] [UNEP Publications Page]