Written question WQ99028

The Welsh Government expects all waste operators to meet their environmental obligations in full and takes compliance very seriously.

Responsibility for regulating the waste sector in Wales rests with Natural Resources Wales (NRW). NRW undertakes risk‑based permitting, monitoring and enforcement of waste activities, and responds to any incidents that may pose a risk to people or the environment. Where standards are not met, NRW applies a proportionate approach to enforcement, ranging from advice and guidance through to formal action, including prosecution in the most serious cases.

We continue to support NRW in this important role by ensuring it has the powers and resources it needs to take effective action. This includes providing additional funding to strengthen regulatory capacity and support targeted work to tackle waste crime, alongside the use of intelligence-led approaches and new technologies to identify and disrupt illegal activity.

We are also working closely with partners across Wales and the UK to improve compliance across the waste chain. This includes collaboration through the Joint Unit for Waste Crime and joint working with organisations such as HMRC and the Welsh Revenue Authority to address issues such as the misdescription of waste and tax evasion.

Alongside this, we are introducing digital waste tracking. This will increase transparency and help us identify and address non‑compliance more quickly.

Taken together, this package of regulatory oversight, enforcement activity and system reform helps ensure that waste is managed safely and legally in Wales, while supporting our wider environmental and circular economy ambitions.