Agenda item

The committee will receive an update report on fly tipping.

Presenters:

Cllr Bill Chapple, Cabinet Member for Environment & Climate Change

The Chairman welcomed Cllr B Chapple, Cabinet Member for Environment & Climate Change, and Gary Slee, Enforcement Team Leader, to the item. Fly tipping had increased during the pandemic period with the Council noting that over 50% of dumped waste had been brought in from outside Buckinghamshire and often originated from Slough or London. More than 60% of this waste had been from commercial waste carriers. This pattern was similar nationally. The Cabinet Member had asked officers to investigate the use of new cameras that were able to capture the details of vehicles that had had rubbish and cigarettes thrown from them. The Cabinet Member invited questions and comments on the update from the Committee.

Discussion from the Committee was on the following themes:

·         The feasibility of the new style cameras was being investigated, budgetary considerations would be looked at once this was done.

·         The maximum amount that could be fined from a fixed penalty notice (FPN) was £400. The Council had a zero tolerance approach so FPNs were only used for small scale offences if appropriate. Funds from FPNs went to the Council and were reinvested into the service. On average, one FPN per week had been issued since August 2020. Non-payments were chased and may lead to court proceedings. There was ongoing lobbying with Buckinghamshire MPs to strengthen enforcement powers for local authorities.

·         Charges for household recycling were introduced in April 2019 for budgetary reasons. Fly tipping was evident all over the country even where household recycling centres were free of charge.

·         There was no specific trade that fly tipped more than others.

·         Buckinghamshire Council had close working relationships with neighbouring authorities to combat fly tipping. A recent enforcement case, which resulted in a prosecution and the crushing of vehicles, had involved working with Slough Borough Council. Officers were looking to broaden the prevention campaign by working with Hertfordshire County Council, and were trying to influence more London authorities and DEFRA to bring in measures to reduce the flow of waste into Buckinghamshire.

·         The service had continued working throughout the pandemic. Officers had carried on fulfilling the policy and had been suitably equipped to investigate and search through fly tipped waste as normal.

·         The Government had planned to introduce a paper in 2022-23 regarding littering of fast food packaging and how the industry needed to assist. The issue also lay with individuals disposing fast food boxes inappropriately. A day of action was planned to approach fast food establishments and encourage their participation in keeping surrounding areas free of litter.

·         One Member suggested the development of a Parish Council toolkit to assist Buckinghamshire Council in fly tipping issues; the Cabinet Member saw merit in this idea.

·         Evidence submitted by the public of fly tipping was done anonymously and if court action was required then officers discussed this in detail with potential witnesses.

·         One Member highlighted the importance of educating perpetrators on fly tipping.

·         Specific fly tipping concerns or suggestions on tackling site hot spots could be emailed to separately to the Cabinet Member for referral.

The Chairman thanked the Cabinet Member and officer for the update and their attendance.