Fly Tipping it's a bigger problem than you think

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Fly tipping is something of a tradition in the UK.Fly tipping is something of a tradition in the UK. But the problem is much bigger than you think.

Transcript of Fly Tipping it's a bigger problem than you think

  • Fly Tipping

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  • Introduction

    Fly tipping is something of a tradition in the UK. In the 1700s theRiver Fleet, in London, was so filled with waste that theauthorities chose to simply turn it into a closed sewer in anattempt to stop people throwing household waste and deadanimals into it. The tradition continues today and across the UKlocal authorities remain responsible for coming up withinnovative solutions to clearing up other peoples mess. Plaguesof black bin liners, pre-loved fridges, mountains of buildingrubble and the occasional stash of lethal asbestos continue toadorn the highways and byways of the UK.

    A Troubled and Troubling Landscape

    Its a perennial problem and one that doesnt seem likely to goaway any time soon. Apart from a landscape strewn with bin-liners there is also a land-scape strewn with funding cuts tocontend with, for the authorities that have to deal with theproblem at least. As central government continues to cut localauthority funding, the cost of fly tipping is becoming anincreasingly big issue for local councils and finding innovativeways to address the situation and pass the buck back to thoseresponsible for the waste becomes more pressing than ever.

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  • Fly Tipping Facts

    The year 2013/14 saw a 20 per cent increase in the reportedincidents of fly tipping, with two thirds of the waste beingdomestic refuse, the increase followed several years in which adecrease had been reported.

    47 per cent of incidents occur on or adjacent to highways, withother locations including bridleways, footpaths and alleywaysaccounting for 29 per cent of incidents.

    In 2013/14 estimated costs for clearance ran to 45.2 million a 24 per cent increase on the previous year, while enforcementactions came to an estimated 17.3 million.

    While single bag incidents are common, 2013/14 saw a rise inreported incidents involving larger quantities. Fly tippingamounts range from a single bag up to full tipper loads,although medium sized loads account for around a third ofincidents.

    The number of white goods (fridges being a common item)dumped rose by 152 per cent on the previous year from 13,000reports to 34,000.

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  • Whos In Charge?

    In general, the responsibility for clearing illegally dumped wastelies with local authorities. The Environment Agency will normallybecome involved with only the more serious cases particularlyorganized illegal waste tipping operations and in cases ofpollution on a larger scale. Both local authorities and theEnvironment Agency can prosecute but in many cases,particularly the most common type of cases, its down to localauthorities to clear up and dispose of any items illegallydumped. This years rise in costs demonstrates well the burdenthat this responsibility puts on councils. While incidents haverisen by 20 per cent, the cost of dealing with these incidents hasrisen by 24 per cent. In the case of English councils finding thefunds to deal with the issue could prove increasingly difficult,with extra cuts to funding announced on 18th December 2014averaging 1.8 per cent with some councils facing cuts of even6.4 per cent. So in summary the costs are increasing and thebudget is decreasing!

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  • Common Ways to Deal with Fly Tipping

    1 - Foot Patrols some councils have employed these for manyyears and others employ regular or part-time officers to monitorknown black (bag) spots. These can be effective in dealingpromptly with the issue and catching the offenders. Officersarent above donning gloves to check through bags to findevidence of the former owner of the unwanted rubbish. Footpatrols can be effective but are costly in terms of time andstaffing resources. Mostly they are also restricted to urbanenvironments where the chance of catching offenders in the actis higher. They have the advantage of raising the profile of theproblem and helping to educate the public in responsible wastedisposal.

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  • 2 - CCTV cameras are the next and probably most favouredoption. Traditionally, fixed security and existing CCTV systemshave been employed to monitor for fly tipping and manycouncils have used them for several years. They can bedeployed in known trouble-spots, if necessary and are ideal forgathering evidence as well as helping councils respond quicklyto incidents and remove rubbish from the streets. Again fixedCCTV is ideal in urban locations.

    3 - The latest development in the CCTV world is the covert andportable option like the J-Cam, from Tag Guard. These systemsoffer the most in terms of flexibility. In many locations, often inrural settings, a small pile of fly-tipped waste can rapidly grow.Mobile and self-contained units which are also disguised canhelp to nip the problem in the bud quickly. The advantages areobvious in more difficult to police locations as covert camerascan be deployed anywhere to help clean up the act of unwantedtippers. Many systems can be combined with intruder alertsystems, again, great for quieter areas and use GPRS to allowremote monitoring

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  • Let Tag monitor, detect...

    and minimise the threat.

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