Tipping Point
According to Government figures issued by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), there were 1,555 recorded incidents of illegal dumping across the town of Hastings in 2023, a 171% increase over the previous year. We’re not alone. There were over one million recorded incidents across the country, and it is believed this is likely to be an underestimate because of low reporting levels.
The illegal dumping of both domestic and commercial waste is a very profitable business. In 2018 a Defra review concluded that many of those involved in fly-tipping were also involved in organised criminality, with few convictions to deter the practice. Last year in Hastings, for example, not one of the reported fly-tipping incidents resulted in a successful criminal prosecution: the borough council (HBC) issued just two fixed-penalty notices, neither of which was paid.
Councils do have strong powers to tackle fly-tipping. On-the-spot fines of up to £1,000 can be levied. Courts can impose unlimited fines; offenders can even be sent to prison. As is the case with the provision of other public services, however, local authorities simply do not have the resources to make a difference. HBC is a case in point. Budget cuts have resulted in less money to monitor the dumping of waste from vehicles, and the council is reliant on local residents reporting fly-tipping instances long after the perpetrators have left the scene. Nevertheless, they still have the responsibility for the sometimes dangerous and costly clean-up.
An HBC spokesperson told HIP that the council treats fly-tipping “very seriously” and “will prosecute anyone caught”.It was also explained that councils cannot remove fly-tipped waste from private land.
In an effort to reduce the number, HBC does provide a bulky waste collection service for large items such as sofas, fridges and mattresses. This costs £35 per item, which compares favourably with the commercial rates offered by specialist operators such as LoveJunk, who are fully licensed and dispose of the waste responsibly. However, many may feel that, in a cost of living crisis, the £35 per item charge is simply too much. There are certainly a large number of abandoned old mattresses and sofas lying around town.
But LoveJunk company founder Jason Mohr believes the way to stop fly-tipping fast is simply to ban cash payments for all rubbish removal and to require waste collectors to show photo ID and a waste carrier licence before a pickup. “The Government urgently needs to change the law,” he said.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply