As Calderdale Council continues its fight against fly-tipping, it has welcomed a new national government policy giving more powers to deal with the crime.
This will see fly-tippers and criminal waste operators having their vehicles seized and crushed; new technology such as drones and mobile CCTV identifying vehicles used for fly-tipping, and jail sentences of up to five years for people who illegally transport waste in England.
Calderdale Council is ahead of the curve, as it has already seized 15 vehicles since January 2024and regularly uses drones and a variety of CCTV equipment to catch fly-tipping criminals in the act, gather evidence for prosecutions and see where rubbish needs to be cleared.
This video shows one of the seized vehicles being crushed in Calderdale in early-2025: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiSQzU3cA9M(external link)
Fly-tipping, where people illegally dump rubbish or debris, often by the roadside rather than taking it to a proper waste site, is a major concern for the Council and local people.
The Council dealt with over 5000 cases of fly-tipping between 2023 and 2024 alone. It costs the Council up to £1 million a year to deal with the crime, taking valuable resources away from vital services at a time of significant financial challenges.
But the Council is serious about making a difference. It is one of a few councils to issue Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) fines at the maximum amount of £1000 for fly-tipping offences, and uniquely has one dedicated team working on all aspects of fly-tipping – from lifting and shifting waste to gathering evidence, taking statements, reviewing CCTV footage and prosecuting offenders.
Cllr Danielle Durrans, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services, said:
“Local people tell me time and time again how much of a concern fly-tipping is in their communities. We’re listening and taking action.
“We have priorities for thriving towns and climate action, so in Calderdale we’ve been really stamping down on fly-tipping for the past few years. It’s not a victimless crime – it costs us all money and blights our beautiful Calderdale environment. We welcome the wider government support and have already seen first-hand how effective vehicle seizures and new technology can be in tackling fly-tipping.
“Thank you to the local people, community groups and volunteers that help deal with and report fly-tipping. In Calderdale we care about our environment and we’re all in it together.”
The Council is using the government’s new policy announcement to raise awareness of some key fly-tipping facts:
- If a vehicle is used for fly-tipping, the driver and owner can both be prosecuted and the vehicle can be seized and crushed.
- To help reduce fly-tipping, the Council provides a bulky item collection service, and household waste can be taken to one of its recycling centres: https://new.calderdale.gov.uk/waste(external link)
- Please report fly-tipping when you see it, and try to give as much information as possible. This could include the date and location of the incident, descriptions of people / vehicles involved and photos of the items dumped. Report fly-tipping online and get advice on how to dispose of your waste at https://new.calderdale.gov.uk/communities/clean-streets/fly-tipping(external link)
- If you are getting a company to take your rubbish away for you, thoroughly check who they are first – you are ultimately responsible for the disposal of your rubbish and where it ends up, even if you’ve paid someone else to move it for you. We all have a duty of care.