Fly Tipping it's a bigger problem than you think

Fly Tipping

Introduction
Fly tipping is something of a tradition in the UK. In the 1700s the
River Fleet, in London, was so filled with waste that the
authorities chose to simply turn it into a closed sewer in an
attempt to stop people throwing household waste and dead
animals into it. The tradition continues today and across the UK
local authorities remain responsible for coming up with
innovative solutions to clearing up other people’s mess. Plagues
of black bin liners, pre-loved fridges, mountains of building
rubble and the occasional stash of lethal asbestos continue to
adorn the highways and byways of the UK.
A Troubled and Troubling Landscape
It’s a perennial problem and one that doesn’t seem likely to go
away any time soon. Apart from a landscape strewn with binliners
there is also a land-scape strewn with funding cuts to
contend with, for the authorities that have to deal with the
problem at least. As central government continues to cut local
authority funding, the cost of fly tipping is becoming an
increasingly big issue for local councils and finding innovative
ways to address the situation and pass the buck back to those
responsible for the waste becomes more pressing than ever.

Fly Tipping Facts
The year 2013/14 saw a 20 per cent increase in the reported
incidents of fly tipping, with two thirds of the waste being
domestic refuse, the increase followed several years in which a
decrease had been reported.
47 per cent of incidents occur on or adjacent to highways, with
other locations including bridleways, footpaths and alleyways
accounting 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 enforcement
actions came to an estimated £17.3 million.
While “single bag” incidents are common, 2013/14 saw a rise in
reported incidents involving larger quantities. Fly tipping
amounts range from a single bag up to full tipper loads,
although medium sized loads account for around a third of
incidents.
The number of white goods (fridges being a common item)
dumped rose by 152 per cent on the previous year from 13,000
reports to 34,000.

Who’s In Charge?
In general, the responsibility for clearing illegally dumped waste
lies with local authorities. The Environment Agency will normally
become involved with only the more serious cases – particularly
organized illegal waste tipping operations and in cases of
pollution on a larger scale. Both local authorities and the
Environment Agency can prosecute but in many cases,
particularly the most common type of cases, it’s down to local
authorities to clear up and dispose of any items illegally
dumped. This year’s rise in costs demonstrates well the burden
that this responsibility puts on councils. While incidents have
risen by 20 per cent, the cost of dealing with these incidents has
risen by 24 per cent. In the case of English councils finding the
funds to deal with the issue could prove increasingly difficult,
with extra cuts to funding announced on 18th December 2014
averaging 1.8 per cent – with some councils facing cuts of even
6.4 per cent. So in summary the costs are increasing and the
budget is decreasing!

Common Ways to Deal with Fly Tipping
1 - Foot Patrols – some councils have employed these for many
years and others employ regular or part-time officers to monitor
known black (bag) spots. These can be effective in dealing
promptly with the issue and catching the offenders. Officers
aren’t above donning gloves to check through bags to find
evidence of the former owner of the unwanted rubbish. Foot
patrols can be effective but are costly in terms of time and
staffing resources. Mostly they are also restricted to urban
environments where the chance of catching offenders in the act
is higher. They have the advantage of raising the profile of the
problem and helping to educate the public in responsible waste
disposal.

2 - CCTV cameras are the next and probably most favoured
option. Traditionally, fixed security and existing CCTV systems
have been employed to monitor for fly tipping and many
councils have used them for several years. They can be
deployed in known trouble-spots, if necessary and are ideal for
gathering evidence as well as helping councils respond quickly
to incidents and remove rubbish from the streets. Again fixed
CCTV is ideal in urban locations.
3 - The latest development in the CCTV world is the covert and
portable option like the J-Cam, from Tag Guard. These systems
offer the most in terms of flexibility. In many locations, often in
rural settings, a small pile of fly-tipped waste can rapidly grow.
Mobile and self-contained units which are also disguised can
help to nip the problem in the bud quickly. The advantages are
obvious in more difficult to police locations as covert cameras
can be deployed anywhere to help clean up the act of unwanted
tippers. Many systems can be combined with intruder alert
systems, again, great for quieter areas and use GPRS to allow
remote monitoring

Let Tag monitor, detect...
and minimise the threat.