The figure comes in a newly-published study, ‘Tip of the Binberg’, which was supported by the EU’s Regional Development Fund and Manchester’s Business Growth Hub. It recommends simpler and clearer information for householders about waste collection options.
The report was commissioned by Dsposal, a Manchester-based online platform which aims “to connect waste producers with waste companies”. It was prepared by Ray Georgeson Resources and Beasley Associates.
Annually the report says there were nearly 53,000 separate incidents reported by Greater Manchester local authorities in 2016/17 producing an estimated average of nearly 20,000 tonnes of dumped waste during that year.
Councils picked up the cost of about £4.9 million to deal with the waste with HMRC losing out on VAT and Income Tax on part of this.
The report claims that ‘man and a van’ operators are involved which are chosen by the public for low cost and convenience.
While councils are trying to tackle fly-tipping, the study makes a number of recommendations for consideration.
These include:
- Tell residents about the high cost of fly-tipping clearance and how it hits council spending
- More enforcement activities and fines for flytippers
- More communications, including about Carriers’ Licences
- Engage the Environment Agency and report advertisers wrongly using the EA logo
Information for householders
The research also suggests that the way that householders and businesses can access quality assured information about legal, compliant collectors and waste managers should be simplified. “This could involve some form of validation service for collectors and operators, involving a new collaboration between the GMCA, the ten local district authorities of Greater Manchester, the Environment Agency, representative trade bodies such as the ESA and the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, utilising the expertise of service providers such as Dsposal.”
Related links
Tip of the Binberg, available HERE (requires registration)
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