Strategy to require more council action against fly-tipping

Under its new waste strategy for England, Lord Rooker, Defra's representative to the Lords told fellow peers yesterday that local authorities changing their collection processes will have to have a “specific programme to make sure that fly-tipping is dealt with proactively”.

” We have to be careful that actions taken in waste management in one area do not have unintended consequences in another. “
– Lord Rooker
Lord Rooker told the Lords that the strategy, which is expected at the end of this month, will not have proposals for a “bin tax”. This was in response to their concerns that forcing householders into new recycling and collection systems would increase illegal dumping of waste.

He said: “With respect to putting cost pressure on householders, it has to be done the other way around, by giving people a reduction for generating less waste and recycling.”

Fortnightly

Baroness Knight of Collingtree warned that “there is an extra incentive for fly-tipping since so many parts of the country now have to put up with a fortnightly household rubbish collection”.

In his reply, Lord Rooker confirmed the government's view that there was a danger of increased fly-tipping through such collection arrangements, citing research from Europe.

He said of the forthcoming strategy: “Under the proposals for the waste management structure and strategy, local councils that make these changes will, as part and parcel of the way they change collection processes, have to have a specific programme to make sure that fly-tipping is dealt with proactively.

“It is generally known where a lot of the sites are and more monitoring is going on so that people can be caught,” Lord Rooker added.

“Serious”

Defra's representative in the Lords said the issue of fly-tipping was now “serious”, with 89,000 incidents a month recorded by local authorities.

Earl Cathcart warned that the rising Landfill Tax – and the fact that only 1% of fly-tippers are being prosecuted at present – meant “more will choose to avoid the escalating cost of legitimate disposal by fly-tipping”.

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Hansard

Lord Rooker responded: “We have to be careful that actions taken in waste management in one area do not have unintended consequences in another—that is, leading to an increase in fly-tipping that is unmanaged and gets totally out of control. That would be a complete failure.

“There is no proposal for a bin tax as such, but account must be taken that any changes that are made to collections must not cause an increase in fly-tipping as a consequence,” he said.