Waste crime and trafficking is expanding globally, fueled by profit incentives in a fast-growing waste-management industry and compounded by major blind spots in official data, according to a newly released report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
In the report, the office found that illegal dumping and cross-border waste movements occur worldwide, but reporting is “geographically skewed,” limiting the ability to map global illicit flows or estimate their value. The analysis underscores how expanding volumes of waste and stricter disposal rules can create opportunities for criminal actors, as illegal services undercut the costs of legally required processes.
The rise in illicit activity comes alongside a growing legal market. The global official legal waste-management market was valued at $1.2 trillion in 2024, up from $410 billion in 2011, according to the report.
Waste crimes are “strongly linked” to other illicit activity, including tax evasion, document fraud, corruption, embezzlement, drug trafficking, and money laundering, UNODC said. The potential for related profits has drawn in large and regional organized-crime groups alike, with engagement ranging from obtaining waste to transporting it to treating it or reselling it.
The criminal groups “frequently use legal business structures” alongside legitimate companies engaged in illegal practices, while complex supply chains, forged logistics documentation, and shell companies make cases harder to build, the office said.
On enforcement, the report points to structural weaknesses, including limited inspections. Citing European Commission and INTERPOL figures, it said only about 2 percent of the world’s maritime containers are physically inspected by customs authorities, and only a small share of those inspections target waste.
“This is not an abstract challenge, but one with severe consequences for public health, as it drives toxic pollution of drinking water, the ocean, soil and more,” said Candice Welsch, Director of Policy Analysis and Public Affairs at UNODC, in a statement.
Read more from the UNODC here