Fly-tipping: National database - Flycapture Q&A 2007
Flycapture Q&A 2007
Background
What is Flycapture and why was it introduced?
The Flycapture database was set up in 2004 by Defra, the Environment Agency and the Local Government Association. The aim of the database is to build the evidence base for fly-tipping in order to inform future policy making and to provide local authorities with a management tool which enables a problem solving approach to be taken to fly-tipping.
It records the number of fly-tipping incidents dealt with by the Environment Agency and local authorities, along with details of enforcement action taken.
When local authorities or the Environment Agency encounter an incident of fly-tipping, they record the details on this web based system. This includes the location of the incident, what was tipped, the size of the tip and any actions taken.
What is fly-tipping?
Fly-tipping is the common term used to describe waste illegally deposited on land as described under section 33 of the Environment Protection Act 1990.
However for the purposes of Flycapture waste should be counted as a fly-tip if it is too large to be removed by a normal hand-sweeping barrow. In simple terms, a single full bin bag upwards may constitute a fly-tip. Similarly several carrier bags full of rubbish dumped together would also constitute a single fly-tip.
Waste placed out at the wrong time can also be counted as fly-tipping for the purposes of Flycapture but local authorities are guided to use their discretion when recording such incidents.
What is the split of responsibilities between local authorities and the Environment Agency?
There is a national fly-tipping protocol between local authorities and the Environment Agency which sets out the responsibilities of both. Simply put, local authorities deal with smaller scale fly-tips while the Environment Agency deal with more serious, ‘big, bad and nasty’ fly-tips which often have serious criminal involvement.
The Data
Why has the data for past years changed?
As data have been added to and amended over the past two years it has been corrected – this is a common statistical procedure. Additional local authorities have also begun to submit data. Updated and corrected data ensures we give the most up to date picture of fly-tipping.
How many fly-tips have been reported?
Local authorities reported that they had dealt with over 2.6 million incidents of fly-tipping. However, Liverpool City Council accounted for half of this number. Excluding Liverpool, the number reported was 1.3 million incidents.
Why are two sets of data being reported this year?
Liverpool City Council (LCC) has been reporting a large number of single black bags as fly-tips for the last two years. Last year, the decision was taken to exclude LCC data as to include it disproportionately affected the national figures.
LCC have continued to record large numbers of single black bags in 2006/07. Rather than continue to exclude LCC’s figures for a second year we have included them but presented an analysis which both includes and excludes its data due to the way that the national picture changes.
Are all fly-tips recorded?
No. Fly-tips dealt with by waste collection authorities and the Environment Agency should be recorded to Flycapture.
Fly-tips on private land are not currently reported to Flycapture.
What about fly-tipping on private land? Is it a problem and what is being done about it?
The Flycapture database currently only records incidents ‘dealt with’ by local authorities and the Environment Agency. It does not include fly-tipping that is dealt with by private landowners. Anecdotal evidence suggests that fly-tipping on private land is also a major problem. A report conducted on behalf of the Environment Agency in 2005-06 estimated the cost of clearing fly-tipping from Agricultural land alone to be £47m.
Clearing illegally dumped waste from privately owned land is particularly difficult. Neither the local authority nor the Environment Agency is under any legal obligation to remove the waste. Placing a duty on authorities to remove waste from private land would simply encourage illegal dumping rather than tackle the problem. People would not pay the costs of legitimate disposal if they knew they could fly-tip it in the nearest field and the local tax payer would foot the clearance bill.
The Government is looking into how the Flycapture database can help build a better picture of the problem in relation to private land. Defra also attends the Environment Agency’s National Fly-tipping Prevention Group which identify better ways of preventing and tackling the problem and has issued guidance to landowners on how to deal with fly-tipping:
How much has it cost local authorities to clear fly-tipping?
The estimated cost of clearance of illegally dumped waste reported by local authorities in 2006-07 was £73.7 million (£58 million excluding LCC data).
How much does it cost local authorities to enforce against fly-tipping?
This is the first year that data on enforcement spend have been available. It is estimated that local authorities are spending £24.6 million on enforcement action against fly-tipping (£17.8 million excluding Liverpool City Council (LCC) data).
Where is fly-tipping happening?
On a national level, 93% of fly-tipping takes place in predominantly urban local authorities where 63% of people in England live. Once LCC data is excluded, 88% of fly-tipping takes place in predominantly urban authorities.
77% of all fly-tipping occurs within the 86 most deprived areas (53% excluding LCC data).
Regionally, the biggest problem is in London which recorded 588,432 incidences in 2006-07, nearly 80 incidents per 1000 people.
Fly-tipping levels will be different in each local authority area for a variety of reasons. The local authority is best placed to share this local perspective.
Which are the best and worst authorities?
Flycapture data is not intended to highlight best and worst authorities or to produce a league table. An authority reporting a large number of fly-tips may also be taking a lot of action to address the situation, whereas one reporting few fly-tips may be taking little or no action. To a certain extent, some fly-tipping will be beyond a local authority’s control.
A list of all local authorities and the numbers of incidences recorded for the each of the last three years is available on the Defra website.
How many fly-tipping prosecutions were there in 2006-07?
Local authorities carried out 1,371 prosecutions in 2006-07, of which 94% achieved a successful outcome. These figures remain the same when LCC data is excluded
Why are the fines handed down by courts so low?
There is evidence that levels of fine are increasing but they are often still very low. This may be due to a number of factors, including the ability of the defendant to pay or the ability of the local authority to provide evidence of the socio and economic impacts of the crime.
Government has funded the development of Flycapture Enforcement, a specific training course aimed at local authority enforcement officers and their legal teams which aims to help local authorities put together more effective cases before the courts. These courses are now available in England and Wales.
Why have fly-tipping incidents increased?
It is not possible to give a definitive answer to this. This may be due to the fact that local authorities have got better at collecting the data and due to the high profile of fly-tipping the public are becoming more alert and reporting more incidents.
Positively, enforcement action is increasing and local authorities are increasingly upping the resource they put into this issue. Before the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act was passed in 2005, local authorities had limited powers to deal with fly-tipping. There is evidence that they are now using their new powers which gives scope for incidents to come down nationally in future years.
And although some local authorities are seeing fly-tipping rise, others are proactively implementing recommendations from Government research and achieving significant reductions.
What is the Government doing to tackle fly-tipping?
Tackling fly-tipping and wider waste crime is a priority for the Government. The Government published its waste strategy for England 2007 in May, which set out a blueprint for not only recycling and reusing waste and diverting it from landfill but also preventing it in the first place. The Strategy makes it clear that initiatives to boost recycling should be supported by fly-tipping strategies aimed at preventing the illegal dumping of waste.
Page last modified: 9 October 2007
Page published: 18 October
2005