Local environmental quality: fly-tipping research
Fly-tipping: causes, incentives, solutions research
Until recently, there was very little information on the extent and true cost of fly-tipping in England. The Flycapture database looks to redress this lack of data.
However, Defra also recognised the lack of research into the causes of, and solutions to, fly-tipping. The Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science, part of University College London, was therefore commissioned to carry out a comprehensive project looking at the causes, incentives and solutions for fly-tipping. The project also produced the good practice guide for preventing fly-tipping.
The good practice guide is the result of extensive work by the researchers looking at a selection of local authorities that have been particularly innovative in their attempts to prevent and deter fly-tipping and waste crime. It includes detailed examples and advice for local authorities in tailoring services and enforcement to ensure fly-tipping is designed out and future offenders are deterred.
The good practice guide illustrates a five-point plan that goes beyond clearance and prevention:
| Decrease rewards: | Major motive can be to avoid waste disposal costs. Tactics: consider free bulky waste collection, work with neighbouring councils to ensure consistent charges. |
| Enhance Risks: | Fly-tipping can be quite easy at times. Tactics should include CCTV, publication of successful prosecutions and increasing patrols/spot checks. |
| Focus services: | Long queues after travelling long distances to tips can be a problem. Try extending opening hours, ensuring that collection services meet demand and assessing fairness of charges for trade waste. |
| Remove excuses: | "Because other waste has been dumped" is often an excuse. Tactics should centre on effective communication of services available. Householder responsibilities and potential fines should be publicised. |
| Address hotspots: | Sometimes it can take more effort to dispose of rubbish legally, than to fly-tip it. Tactics should include reduction in the availability of fly-tipping "hotspots". |
Research and good practice guides
- Fly-tipping: causes, incentives and solutions
(900 KB) - published July 2006 - Fly-tipping: causes, incentives and
solutions: appendices (536 KB) - published July 2006
- Fly-tipping: causes, Incentives and solutions: a good practice guide for local authorities (1 MB) - published July 2006
- Understanding and preventing fly-tipping: a summary guide to good practice (380 KB) - published July 2006
Summary of case studies and good practice examples
We have presented some of the key case studies that have been explored by the researchers. Full details are available in the good practice guide above.
Buckinghamshire
CCTV and publicity
How CCTV and publicity were used in combination to deter fly tippers and reduce fly-tipping in the county.
Dudley
An integrated fly-tipping strategy and how to use your data effectively The "Tough on Tipping" project is an integrated fly-tipping reduction strategy aimed at reducing fly-tips by targeting, not only those who actually do fly-tip, but also those individuals who unknowingly hire unregistered waste carriers to dispose rid of their waste.
Hillingdon
Increasing detections at fly-tipping hot spots
In 2001, concerned about the rate at which the problem appeared to be growing, the Borough decided to do more to prevent fly-tipping from happening in the first place, rather than continue simply to clean it up. An enforcement team was established and the budget increased to fund more preventative work.
Southwark
Getting a PC on your team
How building good relationships with local police has enabled Southwark fund a police officer as part of the team and save money.
Barnet
Improving capacity for problem-solving data-analysis
How the introduction of handheld computers have improved data quality and reduced paper work, allowing enforcement officers to spend more time "on the street". Additional benefits included vastly increased service delivery response times and the creation of easy to prepare, high quality prosecution files.
Effective CCTV
Invested in cameras which have paid for themselves in a little over two months.
Abandoned Vehicle Legislation
Use of the Refuse and Disposal Amenity Act 1978 to remove and crush a vehicle with a fake tax disk that had been used for fly-tipping.
Bury
Community skip scheme
Developed an effective strategy to run these schemes for residents to discard of unwanted bulky waste which removes the residents excuses (also best practice from Durham)
Working with the community
How engaging and working with the local community has fostered community ownership of the area.
Dartford
Stop and search
Using Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989 to stop waste carriers to check their documentation (also best practice from Barnet).
Anti-social behavioural orders (ASBOs)
Through working with Kent County Council an ASBO was obtained against a serial offend to prohibit the unlawful disposal of any waste and setting of any fires for disposal of waste in England and Wales.
Durham
Restricting access
How blocking off all vehicular access to a Borough’s open spaces can reduce the number of fly-tips (also best practice from Barnet).
East Lindsey
Business waste duty of care audits
Due to concerns over the amount of black bags found next to council bins an audit was carried out and businesses were encouraged to comply with the duty of care.
Kent County Council
Using local agreements to tackle fly-tipping
In order to ensure multi agency "buy in" to the Clean Kent campaign fly-tipping was included as one of the 18 expected outcomes of the "Kent agreement" which incorporates their LPSA 2 and LAA.
Newark and Sherwood
Duty of care on households
In an effort to reduce the amount of household waste being fly-tipped by "cowboys" Newark and Sherwood decided to enforce a duty of care. After lots of publicity they started invoicing householders for the cost of clearing fly-tips. It has helped get the message across without being to heavy handed.
Contacts
Media enquiries contact: david.burrows@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Policy enquiries contact: flytipping@defra.gsi.gov.uk
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Page published: 31July 2006