As the “ugly blight” of fly-tipping in Wokingham gets worse, a new action plan sets out how the borough can tackle the issue.
Between April 2018 and March 2019, Wokingham Borough Council received 1,171 reports of fly-tipping. That’s about 93 times a month, and more than a 50 per cent increase on the 747 reported incidents the previous year.
The council has set out how it will deal with the problem — with fines, CCTV, regular inspections and clear advice — in the new fly-tipping strategy, which is due to be approved by councillors at a virtual meeting of the executive on April 22.
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Collecting and disposing of fly-tipped waste costs council taxpayers in Wokingham about £160,000 each year, according to the strategy report which states: “Fly-tipping causes an ugly blight on our everyday lives, damages wildlife, spoils scenery and is expensive to have removed.”
Actions to tackle fly-tipping in the new strategy include:
- Installing more signs and CCTV in hotspot areas
- Clearing fly-tipped waste on public land within five working days of reporting
- Attaching a sticker on fly-tips after inspecting, to confirm they will be cleared soon
- Regularly inspecting how businesses dispose of their waste
- Issuing fines for fly-tipping and businesses who don’t dispose of their waste properly
- Providing clear advice on waste and information on investigations and prosecutions
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The most common types of fly-tipped waste is household waste in black bin bags, followed by construction and demolition waste, white goods, green waste and tyres.
People caught fly-tipping can be fined either £80 or £400 by the council. Last year, the council issued about 50 fly-tipping fines.
Businesses have to document how they dispose of their waste, and any business found without these documents has two weeks to get the proper information, or face a fine of £300.
About 850 businesses across the borough are inspected a year, and in 2019 four out of 10 businesses inspected did not have the proper waste disposal documents.
People can report fly-tipping to the council on their website, telephone or email.
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