MP Stephanie Peacock: The cost of selfish fly-tipping is enormous

THOUGH most of us across Barnsley are proud of where we live, and treat our local area with respect, there still exists a small minority who look to spoil our streets and open spaces with fly-tipping.

In the year 2020/21, over five and a half thousand reports of fly tipping were submitted by locals in Barnsley.

This was almost double the year before, and cost the Council nearly £200,000 to remove.

Thanks to the efforts of the Council’s #EverybodyThink campaign, and local residents, the number of reported incidents has been decreasing in recent months.

However, the problem with fly tipping is that, at any point, it can spiral out of control.

The more local people see fridges and mattresses dumped on the side of our roads, the less likely they are to follow the rules themselves, only creating more waste.

It is important, therefore, that the Government and local authorities do all they can to make proper disposal of waste as easy as possible, and committing a fly-tipping offence as hard as possible.

This starts with ensuring our council is properly funded.

Indeed, having been subject to some of the largest cuts in the country thanks to the Government, Barnsley Council’s budget has been decimated by 40 per cent since 2010.

Though it is great in principle to hear Ministers say they have transferred the power to deal with fly-tipping to councils, without also providing the resources needed, it is hard for local areas to keep the problem under control.

It also means ensuring households are properly educated on how everything they own should be thrown away and then making sure this is easy to follow.

For example, we must make sure there are enough recycling points for old white goods and large items, and that everyone living in multiple-occupancy houses is given enough wheelie bin space.

Cracking down on fly-tipping criminals is also crucial. If you pay someone to dispose of your waste, and they do so illegally, you can be charged for the crime. It is important therefore to familiarise yourself with what a legitimate waste carriers license looks like, so that criminals cannot get away with dumping your rubbish without your consent.

Increasing fines for fly-tipping, and tightening the process for applying for a waste carriers license, could also disincentivise criminals from trying to create a dodgy profit from waste.

Earlier this year, I raised these issues in Parliament, and encouraged the Government to take serious action in supporting our councils to deal with the problem.

Fly-tipping is a blight on communities like Barnsley, but fortunately, solving it is in everyone’s best interest.

With the right support from Government, and the right changes across the country, there is no reason we can’t put an end to this terrible practice.