Keeping Peterborough clean!

Fly-tipping and graffiti impact on Peterborough residents’ quality of life while placing an unnecessary burden on the taxpayer. Clark Chapman is a Communications Manager for Amey, the city’s waste partner, and talks to us about some of the challenges this antisocial behaviour presents and what can be done about it

Fly-tipping and graffiti are sadly all too prevalent this day and age. But just imagine for a minute if everyone played by the rules: our towns and cities would be cleaner, brighter places; councils wouldn’t have to waste money clearing up other people’s mess; and we wouldn’t need to write about it! This is, of course, fantasy, though we can at least minimise the impact these antisocial behaviours have on our local environment.

Fly-tipping
Incidences of fly-tipping have increased over recent years, perhaps due to more stringent waste disposal requirements, or perhaps thanks to better reporting. Either way, fly-tipping is expensive, costing English local authorities in the region of £50million every year. In Peterborough alone local council taxpayers must fork out a staggering £250,000 clearing up illegally dumped rubbish. The latest figures, from 2015, reveal 9,300 reported fly-tips in that year. As well as being illegal, fly-tipping represents a health hazard, looks hideous and is bad for the environment.

‘Having rubbish lying about serves as a source of pollution,’ explains Amey’s Environmental Services Communications Manager Clark Chapman. ‘It’s a potential danger to public health and can be harmful to local wildlife, particularly given the more remote areas where the rubbish is usually dumped. And then there’s the commercial impact; there’s a cost in both its removal and the fact that it undermines genuine waste disposal companies operating within the law.’ Just about everything you can imagine has been fly-tipped within the Peterborough area.

‘There’s a real mix of waste. You get fridges, mattresses, electrical items – and we’ve even had dead animals fly-tipped,’ says Clark.

Be certain
Official Government statistics show that household waste, including white goods such as fridges, make up half of all fly-tipped rubbish, so much of the problem begins at home. ‘Peterborough residents need to be wary of suspect traders offering to take your waste away for a seemingly unbeatable price. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Unscrupulous people out to make a quick buck are likely to simply take your waste down the street then dump it illegally.’

We all have a duty of care to make sure our rubbish is disposed of correctly. Even though you may have given your waste away in good faith, if it is fly-tipped rubbish and can be traced back to you then it’s you will be liable for prosecution. Evidence such as old receipts or letters is all that is needed to trace waste back to its original owner. ‘Residents can avoid any uncertainty by checking that anyone handling their rubbish has a waste disposal licence,’ explains Clark. ‘Of course, anyone working with the council, such as Amey, will have a licence. And if you’re uncertain you can always arrange for a bulky waste collection.’

Fighting back
No-one likes to see fly-tipping in their area – none more so than the city council, which puts considerable resources into its enforcement team. Part of the team’s remit is to investigate flytipped waste, taking on a sleuth-like investigation to comb through the rubbish for any evidence of where it may have come from. The team often gets lucky, successfully tracing the source of the rubbish and pursuing the perpetrators. The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environments Act 2005 made fly-tipping a criminal offence, with fines of up to £50,000 or 12 months in prison. This should be enough to make individuals and criminal gangs think twice before illegally dumping waste.

The council can and does issue fines in a bid to discourage repeat offenses. If you discover fly-tipped rubbish you can report it on the Peterborough City Council customer services number or via the website (contact details below). Alternatively use the My Peterborough app, which is handy for reporting not just flytipping and graffiti, but a range of issues such as abandoned vehicles and potholes.

To report fly-tipping, contact the city council: 01733 747474, www.peterborough.gov.uk or download the My Peterborough app from the either the Apple or Google Play stores.

Image: www.freepik.com/free-vector/flat-bench-in-a-garden-landscape_851996