Shop a Tipper campaign sees fly-tipping reports fall

The local authority this week issued a renewed caution to residents and revealed that its ongoing Shop a Tipper campaign has already seen a 53 per cent decrease in incidents in targeted areas since launching last year.

As well as high-profile public warnings, the dedicated crackdown has involved CCTV being placed at hot spots across the city, capturing repeated incidents of fly-tipping at locations in Whitmore Reans and Blakenhall that have led to several convictions.

Residents providing information leading to the identification of culprits, a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) or prosecution receive a £100 Enjoy Wolverhampton Gift Card. The council’s Climate Change, Housing and Communities Scrutiny Panel will receive an update on the initiative’s success next Thursday.

In a report to members, Head of Environmental Services Steve Woodward said: “There have been 1,583 reports of fly-tipping since January 2023 on council-owned land, not including Wolverhampton Homes. This is a 17 per cent reduction compared to the same period in 2022. 98 per cent of reported fly-tipping is collected within five working days.

“All rapid response officers operate on the Confirm system via an in-cab tablet, allowing jobs to be immediately assigned to the team from Customer Services, the Love Clean Streets App or directly from the Environmental team. Fly-tipping remains a constant challenge for the city – an ever-evolving issue and one which there is no simple remedy for.

“Across the city, fly-tipping varies significantly in terms of material fly-tipped, size of deposit and location. In developing interventions, it is important to understand this variance and use an evidence-based approach to understand why people are fly-tipping and review systems, processes and communication material in response.

“Identifying areas in the city where fly-tipping is most persistent, the Shop a Tipper project has been working to educate residents that fly-tipping is a crime and giving them information on how to dispose of waste legally. If this information and education does not make an impact on the amount of fly-tipping in these areas, CCTV is deployed both as a further deterrent and to try and identify those responsible,” he added.

“In December 2022 we deployed the first Shop a Tipper posters using the images captured from the CCTV. This campaign has been devised to help tackle the issue the council is facing of residents fly-tipping on foot. Unless there is evidence in the waste, we have no way of identifying who is doing this, and thus no way to enforce and use this enforcement as a deterrent.

“We use the images we have captured on posters in the local area asking residents to identify the culprits. If a FPN is issued and paid, there is a reward for the information.”

The Shop a Tipper project works closely alongside the Trade Waste, Street Cleansing, Environmental Health and Trading Standards departments.

“Since January this year, compared to the same period last year, the campaign has resulted in a 53 per cent decrease in the number of fly tips removed in the targeted 21 streets. The first road that had targeted interventions saw a 53 per cent reduction in fly-tips reported and removed compared to the same time last year,” said Mr Woodward.

Councillor Craig Collingswood, the council’s cabinet member for environment and climate change, added: “Fly-tipping has always been a priority for the council and one that we continually work hard to tackle. We know it’s a national issue, but we also know how it makes local people feel when others thoughtlessly dump rubbish in areas where they live and work.

“Residents are reminded that waste can be disposed of free of charge at our household waste and recycling centres – the city’s tips – which are open seven days a week from 8am-4pm. Centres are based at Anchor Lane in Lanesfield, Bilston, and Shaw Road, Wolverhampton, which is in the Bushbury South and Low Hill ward.”

As well as the city’s tips, the council also operates a bulky item collection service to dispose of large unwanted goods such as fridges, freezers etc. Details are available at wolverhampton.gov.uk/recycling-and-waste/book-bulky-item-collection