Calderdale Council is cracking down on the illegal dumping of waste in the borough, with new technology making reporting and catching the culprits easier.
Between January and the end of March this year, the Council received over 1000 reports of waste being dumped. In each case the report is investigated and evidence collected to find the culprits, making it a time-consuming and costly crime.
To deal with this large number of instances of illegal dumping and ensure that limited resources are directed where they’re needed most, the Council has been looking at ways to streamline the process for reporting.
A new interactive map has launched allowing people to drop a pin to report a problem with fly tipping. This not only instantly alerts relevant officers to the issue, but also allows residents to see where issues have already been reported, minimising duplication.
The map, which is available at https://calderdalecouncil.custhelp.com/app/fly_tipping(external link), also allows Council officers to easily see fly tipping ‘hot spots’ so efforts can be directed to these areas to prevent the illegal dumping of waste in future or catch the culprits in action.
One of the ways this is being done is through the use of new camera technology. The Council has purchased a number of new camera devices which can be deployed to problem areas.
The technology is already being put to good use to help tackle littering issues, as in its first weekend of use the camera caught an individual throwing litter from their vehicle in a layby on Timmey Lane, Sowerby Bridge. The individual was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice for the offence of littering.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities, Cllr Jenny Lynn, said:
“The illegal dumping of waste negatively impacts our local communities and blights our beauty spots. We do all we can to tackle the problem and have been proactively looking for ways we can improve our processes and our actions to prevent this crime.
“We really value the contributions of local residents and as the eyes and ears on the ground they can help spot instances of fly tipping. We’ve launched a new interactive map to help streamline the reporting process and provide a better and faster way for reports to reach our community wardens so we can react more quickly to any issues.
“Ideally we want to prevent the waste being dumped in the first place and our new map will also highlight particular problem areas and allow us to use additional measures to deter potential fly tippers or catch them in the act and issue enforcement – serious offenders could face a fine of £50,000 or up to 5 years in prison.
“We simply won’t tolerate this selfish crime and will continue to crack down on the problem and identify those responsible.”
For more information about the laws around fly tipping and for advice on how to dispose of waste responsibly, visit: https://www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/residents/community-and-living/clean-streets/fly-tipping
ENDS