Agenda item

To consider an annual update report on the subject of fly tipping within the Borough and progress with the Council’s Worth It Campaign.

(Report attached and presentation to follow)

The Committee received an annual update report on fly-tipping within the Borough and progress on the Council’s Worth It campaign. Officers provided a verbal summary and clarified that the estimated cost for clearing fly-tipping in Redditch during 2010/11 was £41,375 and not £34,320 as stated in the report.

Members queried whether action taken through the enforcement process for fly-tipping represented a sufficient deterrent. It was suggested a stricter approach to enforcement could reduce fly-tipping.  However, Members felt that the current practice of charging residents for disposing of certain larger scale domestic items was deterring them from doing so and was leading to increased fly-tipping. It was suggested that the issue should therefore be considered as part of the forthcoming review on improving rates of recycling in Redditch.

Having been informed that Redditch had the second highest number of fly-tips dealt with during 2010/11 of all the local authorities in Worcestershire, Members queried whether a consistent approach had been applied for identifying and reporting fly-tipping across the county. It was suggested that, if there was indeed a higher propensity for fly-tipping in Redditch, the Council should liaise with those neighbouring local authorities with the lowest rates to learn what further action could be undertaken to more effectively reduce fly-tipping and report to Members for further consideration.

Members noted that the locations in which there were higher rates of fly tipping were amongst the lowest socio-economic areas in Redditch. A number of actions had been targeted at these hot spot areas which officers agreed to circulate for Members’ consideration. This included walkabouts in certain communities, which was described as being an effective method for identifying and resolving case of fly-tipping.

It was queried whether many fly-tipped items, particularly builders’ rubble, had been left by a disproportionately small number of repeat offenders. No such patterns had yet been detected although the information required to form a clear picture was often difficult to obtain. It was suggested that residents should be further encouraged to report cases of fly-tipping and the build up of litter to help ensure that repeat offenders were penalised and that consideration should be given as to how reporting processes were communicated to the public. 

Members commented that an amnesty could be held to give residents the opportunity to dispose of unwanted household items through the Council’s collection service free of charge. This was likely to entail significant financial costs for the Council and would not correspond with targets for encouraging the reuse of household items and for reducing waste. However, Members suggested this might be a useful idea to revisit.

It was questioned whether a significant proportion of fly-tipping in the Borough may have been left by the travelling community, Officers explained that travellers’ waste was dealt through another route and would not have contributed to the Council’s figures for fly-tipping.

A suggestion was accepted by the Chair from a member of the audience that Community Groups could be allowed to use the collection service to take items on behalf of residents.  Members commented that this might help people on low incomes and could lead to a reduction in fly tipping.

RESOLVED that:

subject to noting Members comments and requests for further information, the report be noted.