Government announces new crackdown on fly-tipping but concerns remain over rogue traders

The Government has launched new measures to help in the ongoing fight against fly-tipping, which has increased since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fly-tipping is a crime which blights communities, poses a risk to public health, wildlife and the environment, while costing up to £392 million a year. Recent figures revealed that local authorities dealt with 1.13 million fly-tipping incidents in 2020/21, up by 16% from 2019/20.

Households will no longer have to pay to get rid of DIY waste under plans set out by government to change the rules that currently allows some Local Authorities to charge for DIY waste from households. Under the proposals, household DIYers would not be charged to get rid of waste including plasterboards, bricks and bath units.

A number of local authorities charge for construction waste such as paving slabs and roofing materials, but the Government is today consulting on amending legislation so that householders cannot be charged for of DIY waste at recycling centres.

In addition, new council grants totalling £450,000 will help fund a range of projects such as:

• CCTV: The use of covert and overt CCTV cameras at hot-spot locations can help to reduce the numbers of people dumping waste illegally, while also providing further evidence to help identify those that continue to offend.   
• Artificial intelligence: Buckinghamshire Council plans to use a combination of AI enabled Rapid Deployable Cameras (RDC) and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to provide an alert to any visible left items at fly-tipping hotspots in real-time and link them to the vehicle that deposited them, allowing officers to rapidly investigate.
• Delivering education to communities on fly-tipping: Funding for Durham Council for CCTV will lead to individuals being directed to the council's self-funded digital educational tool for those issued with an on-the-spot fine for fly-tipping. The tool aims to educate and encourage long term behaviour change and completion reduces the amount of the fine. 
• 'No bags on the street' policy - Newham Council will receive funding to prevent bags being on the street in front of business premises which can attract additional waste. They will scale up their trial of containers to house residential and commercial waste, which resulted in a 24% reduction in fly-tipping.

Single items, such as furniture and mattresses, accounted for 16% of total fly-tipping incidents in 2020/21, rising by 7% from the year before. To tackle this, the Government is considering measures such as eco-design, ecolabelling and extended producer responsibility – where manufacturers are responsible for the costs of dealing with waste created by their products.

Sarah Lee, Director of Policy at the Countryside Alliance said: "We have always campaigned to make it easier for householders to dispose of their waste legally. Over the last year fly-tipping has reached pandemic levels and measures to tackle this anti-social behaviour by the Government must be applauded. The frustration and damage fly-tipping causes for both rural and urban communities cannot be underestimated. However the announcement, focuses primarily on householders who are disposing of their own DIY material.

"We must still do more to clamp down on the rogue traders who pose as legitimate waste businesses and dupe householders into thinking they will dispose of their waste legally but in reality fly-tip it in our beautiful countryside. Not only is this a blight on the landscape but it is harmful to wildlife and the environment. Householders must be aware of their responsibilities and liabilities when paying a third party to dispose of their waste. This cannot be stressed enough and is ultimately what continues to fuel this horrific trade."

In a statement, Environment Minister Jo Churchill said: "When it comes to fly-tipping, enough is enough. These appalling incidents cost us £392 million a year and it is time to put a stop to them. I want to make sure that recycling and the correct disposal of rubbish is free, accessible and easy for householders. No one should be tempted to fly tip or turn to waste criminals and rogue operators. Furthermore, the funding that we have announced for Local Authorities today will help them trial innovative new projects to put a stop to fly tipping. We will learn from the successes – and replicate them."

People or businesses who transport, buy, sell or dispose of waste, or arrange for someone else to do so, must be registered. To check a registration, please visit the Environment Agency website by clicking here.