Fly-tipping rates fall in England

Fly-tipping has declined in England in the past year, according to new government figures (pdf) which suggest that tougher action by local authorities against perpetrators is paying off. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has revealed that the number of incidents of illegally dumped waste in England fell by nearly one-fifth (18.7%) to 947,000, following a 9% decrease the previous year. In total, there were 2,460 prosecution actions carried out in 2009-10, of which 97% achieved a successful outcome such as a fine. The figures are the latest from Flycapture – the national database of fly-tipping incidents and enforcement action which was set up by Defra, the Environment Agency and the Local Government Association to record the volume of incidents and cost of illegally dumped waste dealt with by local authorities. Environment minister Lord Henley said: "We're encouraged by the efforts being made by local authorities to tackle fly-tipping but there is no room for complacency. A total of nearly 947,000 incidents is unacceptable by any standards and fly-tipping is clearly still a significant problem. We must all work together to stamp out this continuing blight on our neighbourhoods." Of the other findings, nearly half (49%) of all fly-tips cleared by local authorities took place on public roads and highways – a 21% reduction on the previous year. And one-third (33%) occurred on council land and footpaths and bridleways - a 20% reduction on the previous year. Individuals appear to be responsible for much of the illegal tipping, with 58% of all rubbish cleared recorded as being the size of a car boot-load or a small van. And 63% of fly-tips dealt with by local authorities involved household waste including food. The estimated cost of clearance of illegally dumped waste reported by local authorities in this period was £45.8m - a reduction of £9.2m compared to 2008-09. Local authorities increased their enforcement actions in 2009-10 by 2.3% on 2008-09, which also involved higher costs. It is estimated that local authorities spent £19.1m on enforcement action against fly-tipping in 2009-10 (an increase of around 4.3% over 2008-09 expenditure). The improvements were welcomed by the Campaign to Protect Rural England , which has highlighted the problems of fly-tipping through its Stop the Drop campaign , spearheaded by its president, Bill Bryson. In the past Bryson has said: "Fly-tipping in particular is a scandal and what is almost as much a scandal is that people are getting away with it." Samantha Harding, CPRE's Stop the Drop campaign manager, said of the latest figures: "These results show that councils are making real progress in the fight against fly-tipping. They show that a consistent approach to dealing with fly-tipping through prevention and enforcement can lead to real savings to the public purse. With councils now facing budget pressures we hope that they will not stop their drive to end fly-tipping but step it up as a way to cut costs in the long run." But she said the statistics were only part of the overall picture, as they only cover fly-tipping on public land: " The £45.8m bill for dealing with fly-tipping would be significantly higher if you added the costs incurred by farmers and other private landowners who have to clear up fly-tipping at their own expense." Helen Bingham, spokesperson from anti-litter charity Keep Britain Tidy said: "Fly-tipping makes our communities look neglected and the cost of clearing dumped waste is still too high. Places strewn with old sofas, fridges and bin bags feel run down and have a negative impact on the people who live and work there.There are recycling centres across the country and many councils offer a collection service. There is no excuse for fly-tipping."