Some of the sites identified – which contain a wide-range of materials, including household waste, construction materials, asbestos and tyres – are tips that are operating without the correct permits.
Others are land, often privately owned and in the countryside, which has been used to dump huge piles of rubbish.
The EA urged members of the public to come forward if they had any concerns or information about the sites named on the watchlist, which it would aim to update every month as part of its ongoing action to track waste sites.
But, it added, the level of detail published in the watchlist would remain limited, with only broad locations and the nature of the sites given, as it did not want to prejudice ongoing investigations and future enforcement action.
Philip Duffy, the EA’s chief executive, said waste crime was a “serious blight” on both local communities and the environment.
“Publishing this watchlist is a deliberate act of transparency – communities need to know that we are acting, and we want those committing these crimes to know that we are coming for them,” he explained.
“We are using every tool at our disposal to find those responsible and encourage anyone with information to come forward.”
