Essex Police responded to a 999 call after waste was left on private land close to the M25’s junction with the M11, in the village of Stapleford Tawney.
Officers swooped on the field on last week arresting a 55-year-old from Horley in Surrey, and a 25-year-old from Mullaghbawn in County Armagh.
They were taken to a police station and questioned by officers on behalf of the Environment Agency, which is leading enquiries.
Police were greeted by a lorry full of construction and demolition waste and more rubbish spread over a wide area.
The lorry, which had sunk into thick mud, was seized. Two mobile phones and a laptop were also recovered as evidence.
Barry Russell, environment manager for the Environment Agency in the northern home counties, said: “I share the public’s anger at waste crime, where those responsible have no care for the environment.
“Thanks to the person who rang 999, and the quick work of Essex Police, my environmental crime team are using the arrests and seizures to continue investigating this suspected illegal waste dump.
The Environment Agency began investigating operations by the motorway last February after receiving information about it.
