Fly tipping in Essex costs around £1m a year to clean up – to attempt to combat it a new joint initiative has been launched across the county.
An Essex County Council campaign to support district and city councils is being backed by the Environment Agency and the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. Tendring District Council isn’t an official partner, but says it will be sharing campaign materials.
The three month campaign aims to “equip residents with the knowledge and tools to dispose of household waste responsibly” and participating councils will also work closely to increase visible enforcement and share intelligence.
Fly tipping is the illegal dumping of waste on land which doesn’t have a waste licence. This could include leaving items by a bin or outside a closed charity shop, recycling centre or donation bank.
Household waste has been found in over 60% of fly tips across the county in the past three years and most reported incidents also occur on highways or council land.
Councillor Peter Schwier, Chair of the Essex Waste Partnership and Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste Reduction and Recycling at Essex County Council, said: “Fly tipping is not only an eyesore – it’s harmful for the environment, endangers wildlife and costs Essex taxpayers millions of pounds to clean up.
“Through this campaign, we want to make it easier for you to get rid of waste, either with a council service or through a licenced waste collector. Let’s work together to keep Essex clean.”
Visit www.loveessex.org/flytipping to find out more about fly tipping and the new campaign – a poster from which is seen above.
