Nearly 400 tonnes of waste illegally dumped in 2018

Nearly 400 tonnes of waste was illegally dumped in North East Lincolnshire in 2018 including fridges, carpets, doors, tyres and kitchens.

It cost North East Lincolnshire Council £87,700 in disposal costs alone after more than 380 tonnes of rubbish was fly-tipped in the borough last year.

The cost was much higher though due to staff time needed to investigate and clear the site. This is also due to work that doesn’t get done because staff are pulled away from other duties.

There were 1,858 fly-tips reported to the council in 2018 – an average of 36 incidents each week.

Six offenders have been prosecuted by the council’s compliance team in recent months. There are also a number of ongoing investigations for offences that occurred in December 2018.

More than £11,000 was spent on one incident alone in a lay-by off Hewitt’s Avenue in Cleethorpes.

Hewitt’s Avenue

Rubbish dumped at the Tesco lay-by on Hewitt’s Avenue in Cleethorpes. Photo: North East Lincolnshire Council

As previously reported, it cost the council £6,075 to remove all of the waste and clear the lay-by where 80 tonnes of waste had been dumped from several homes and businesses.

There was an added cost of more than £5,000 to install temporary barriers to prevent more fly-tipping.

Two men have been prosecuted in connection with this offence.

Council crackdown

Before and after photos of a separate incident at the previously rubbish-filled Cleethorpes lay-by. Photo: North East Lincolnshire Council

North East Lincolnshire Council is cracking down on fly-tipping with CCTV cameras being installed at ‘bring to’ recycling sites.

Social media monitoring and engaging with residents will also take place.

Council officers are also visiting local businesses to check they are complying with their legal requirements.

The compliance team has carried out hundreds of checks on businesses in the East and West Marsh. Only a few businesses were issued with a £300 fixed penalty notice and follow-up checks to ensure compliance.

This will be rolled out in other areas of North East Lincolnshire.

‘Legal duty of care’

Portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities, Councillor David Bolton, said: “Everyone has a legal ‘duty of care’ to ensure their household or business waste is disposed of correctly. If it’s your waste, it’s your responsibility.

“Fly-tipping is a national problem and has been on the rise for the past five years.

“We find time and again that people are being paid to get rid of waste such as furniture, old bathroom fittings, fridges and freezes, building products or garden clippings, and then dumping it illegally.

“This is being done on an industrial scale by criminals with no respect for the environment.”

Fly-tipping can be reported here or by calling 01472 326300.

Licensed waste carriers can be checked here or by calling the Environment Agency on 03708 506 506.