Increased reports of fly-tipping in West Berkshire

Fewer legal actions taken but council says it is not complacent

THE number of fly-tipping incidents reported in West Berkshire has increased – but fewer people are being reprimanded.

The latest Government figures show that the number of incidents reported increased from 817 in 2017/18 to 884 in 2018/19 (8.2 per cent).

In 2017/18, there were 21 actions taken against fly-tippers and 16 investigations. These both dropped to five in 2018/19.

‘Actions’ include investigations, statutory notices, warning letters and fixed penalty notices (FPNs).

The rise in incidents follows the introduction of the green bin charge in September 2018.

The council introduced the opt-in charge of £50 to collect green waste, a service which had been previously covered through council tax.

The impact the green bin charge has had on fly-tipping has been disputed by councillors.

The latest figures show that the number of green waste incidents dropped from 70 to 57, an 18.5 per cent decrease.

Although the number of green incidents has decreased, there was a rise in other categories.

The ruling Conservatives said that the charge has not had a significant impact on fly-tipping.

This has been disputed by their political opponents, who have said recycling barriers should be removed.

Executive member for the environment Steve Ardagh-Walter (Con, Thatcham Colthrop and Crookham) said: “While any incident of fly tipping is deplorable... we are fortunate in West Berkshire that this is a relatively low-level problem compared with many neighbouring authorities.

“The council is certainly not complacent about this increase in incidents.

“We plan to increase the scale of enforcement activity in order to bear down on offenders and send a strong message that this practice will not be tolerated.

“The decrease in green incidents supports our view that the garden waste charge has not had a significant impact.

“We were more worried that a lot of garden waste was going to be put into black bins – however, there has been virtually no increase in this type of contamination, which is good news for the environment and the district's progress towards carbon neutrality.”

Mr Ardagh-Walter urged residents not to put food waste into black bins.

He added that food waste in a compostable bag could be recycled in green bins, whether people had signed up to the green bin scheme or not.

Opposing parties have countered the claims, however.

Shadow executive member for climate change Adrian Abbs (Lib Dem, Wash Common) said: “The council needs to remove the self-imposed barriers for people disposing of waste.

“The costs of clean up can’t be much different to the costs of accepting it at a dump, especially given the extra red tape needed to support showing where you’re from and your right to drop off waste.

“Most people want to recycle and dispose of waste responsibly.”

Steve Masters (Green, Speen) said: “The rising number of incidents is concerning.

“There may be some misreporting in terms of what defines green waste.

“It is disappointing that the increase has proven our fears that the permit scheme is a barrier to doing the right thing.

“What is clear is that there needs to be a joined up and consistent national waste strategy.”

The number of fly-tipping incidents reported on highways/roads in West Berkshire in 2018/19 stood at 690.

There were 111 reported on footpaths and bridleways, 58 incidents on council land and 17 on private residential land.

This compares to 674 on highways/ roads, 79 on footpaths and bridleways, 54 on council land and two on private residential in 2017/18.

The Government figures showed that there were 47 tipper lorry loads of fly-tipping in 2018/19, which cost £23,030 to clear.

This compared to 54 loads in the previous year, which cost £24,640 to clear.

The data excludes the majority of private-land incidents and large-scale incidents dealt with by the Environment Agency.