21 Nov Flytipping reduces as Basildon Councillors consider next steps on illegal dumping war
Councillors are set to discuss whether to boost environmental enforcement activities by bringing in an external company to undertake targeted and out of hours enforcement.
Basildon Council already has a small team of Street Scene Education and Enforcement Officers. In July last year the decision was taken to increase the number of officers by two to five to focus on educating and enforcing against the flytipping of househould waste, which makes up more than 80% of the borough’s flytipping. Since then incidents have reduced by 21%.
The Neighbourhoods and Public Spaces Committee will meet on Wednesday 27 November to decide whether to allow officers to enter into a trial contract with National Enforcement Solutions. Councillors will also vote on whether to recommend to Policy and Resources Committee that £30,000 is allocated to legal services for additional prosecution case work capacity during the 2020/21 financial year.
Chairman of Basildon Council’s Neighbourhoods and Public Spaces Committee Councillor David Harrison, said: “The vast majority of residents do the right thing with their waste. We want to target the flytippers and those who drop litter, and hold them to account.
“This summer we ran the We’re Cleaning Up campaign to highlight the work we are doing to combat flytipping and littering through education and enforcement.
“This proposed trial will enable us to take more action on those who continue to blight our communities – so my advice is don’t drop litter, and dispose of your waste in the correct way.”
Basildon Council removed 3665 incidences of flytipping for the 2018-2019 financial year, which is down from 4620 removals in 2017-2018.
Anyone caught flytipping can be issued with at least a £200 Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN). Littering carries a £75 fine.
