Fly-tipping cost Walsall Council over £400,000 in 2017, with over 4,000 reports of fly-tipping being made and 2,000 tonnes of illegally disposed of waste being removed from the streets.
However, the Council's proposal to tackle to this costly and annoying issue is not to increase regulation over waste, but to provide skips in the streets in every ward and on every Saturday. It also proposes to increase a cash reward for those who provide information leading to a successful fly-tipping prosecution from £100 to £500, and to extend opening hours at its tips and to offer a free collection service for bulky household items to be disposed of.
A cabinet meeting in September will see the plans discussed. Councillor Louise Harrison said, "We're planning to trial a number of initiatives to make it easier for our residents to legally dispose of their waste. But if they don't, our stance is one of zero tolerance."
"Having given residents the opportunity to do the right thing, we hope to see a reduction both in the number of fly-tipping incidents and also in the costs of collecting and disposing of the waste."
Cedrec's take
In cases of fly-tipping, it is assumed that most authorities will take a hard line to tackle the crime; increase penalties or provide greater resources to catch those illegally disposing of waste. But Walsall Council may have thought of a great solution here - simply provide more outlets through which waste can be disposed of legally.
This could result in a reduction of overall cost for the Council and see the improvement of the local environment. Furthermore, it will reduce the chance of other risks, such as vermin attracted to incorrectly disposed of waste.
We'll follow the developments with interest, and hope that the Council's proposals will see positive results.
