According to experts from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the illegal waste trade generates an impressive $18 billion in profits annually. The study covers five main categories of waste: electronic and electrical waste (e-waste), plastic waste, obsolete vehicles and engines, metal waste, and mixed waste.
The illegal waste trade not only harms the environment by contaminating soil and drinking water sources with toxic substances but also poses a serious threat to public health.
The report also examines the methods used by criminal organizations and companies engaged in the illegal waste trade. The authors of the study note the insufficient regulation of this activity, which allows criminals to reap significant profits and evade punishment. Gaps in legislation and limited resources for law enforcement contribute to this.
“Criminal groups operate worldwide, ranging from local illegal activities to large-scale intercontinental trafficking. Corporations are also involved in the illegal waste trade: some ignore regulations, others pay for illegal services, and some combine legal and illegal activities. The analysis shows that both organized crime groups and companies use corruption to conceal illegal waste within legal streams, circumventing inspections through fraudulent schemes such as document forgery, extortion, theft, embezzlement, abuse of power, and money laundering,” the document states.
The report emphasizes that penalties for illegal waste trade are often minimal, while the profits from this activity can be quite high. Moreover, the cost of illegally disposing of toxic waste is significantly lower than legal disposal rates, creating additional financial incentives for such crimes.
