Forum of 10 in national blitz on fly tipping
Forum of 10 in national blitz on fly tipping
A NATIONAL blitz to combat the growing problem of fly tipping was launched this week.
Based on recorded incidents only, the Environment Agency says that more than 60,000 tonnes of waste is illegally dumped in England and Wales each year.
In a bid to counter the scourge, the agency and nine other national organisations, including the NFU, Country Landowners Association, the National Trust and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, have joined forces.
Their newly-created forum will explore the most effective ways of avoiding, dealing with and reporting incidents of fly tipping.
More waste has been dumped in the countryside since the introduction in October 1996 of the landfill tax which imposed charges for all waste disposed in designated landfill sites.
Another consequence of the landfill legislation was to put legal responsibility on landowners to remove fly-tipped waste at their own expense.
Steve Lee, the EAs head of waste regulation and chairman of the forum, said: "At the very least, illegal dumping is a blight on our environment and an unnecessary cash burden on taxpayers and landowners. At the very worst it can cause long-lasting damage to the environment and put human health at risk."
Report incidents
He added that the public had a role to play in helping combat illegal dumping. "If they report incidents to us quickly we stand a good chance of tracking down the perpetrators and bringing them before the courts."
As well as relying on the public, the agency has also introduced a trial where miniature cameras are hidden to capture fly tippers in action.
An information pack has been published by the forum which includes guidance for landowners and farmers on how to cope with and report fly-tipped material on their land. *