Fly-tipping by householders is now costing local authorities as much to clean up as waste dumped by organised criminal gangs, according to figures published this week.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says that the bill to clear up small scale tips now exceeds £2.5M a month with small piles of illegally dumped black sacks, sofas and even television sets now quite commonplace in some streets.
Environment minister Ben Bradshaw said: ‘Councils have tended to concentrate on clearance. That is vital but there needs to be more emphasis on preventing fly-tipping happening in the first place.’
DEFRA estimates that councils spend around 81% of the costs involved in clearing up fly-tipping and only 12% on prevention and enforcement, and Bradshaw added: ‘Prevention coupled with coming down hard on those who are caught fly-tipping could help reduce the problem and save money.’
However Local Government Association environment board chairman, Jim Harker, stressed: ‘Much of the responsibility of preventing fly-tipping must come from businesses and residents and not just from councils.
‘Councils need to be given new powers to charge households directly for waste and the Government should take a firmer line with the packaging of producers to ensure waste packaging is kept to a minimum.’
A spokesman for the Environmental Services Association said: ‘We have been pressing for a zero tolerance approach to fly-tipping for a number of years.
‘We agree councils need to publicise their services to the public but the main problem comes from organised criminals. As costs for legal disposal go up through development of more energy from waste initiatives, so have other costs, which make fly-tipping attractive to criminals.’
City of Edinburgh Council currently spend about £200,000 a year on cleaning up fly-tipping and Robert Cairns, executive member for environment and streetscape, said: ‘The council is determined to reinforce the message this practice is a crime and will not be tolerated.
‘We will always press for the strongest possible action against anyone caught illegally dumping rubbish in the city.’
DEFRA has published a guide highlighting fly-tipping problems. For details see: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/ localenv/flytipping/index.htm.
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