TAMESIDE issued more fines for fly-tipping than any other council in the North West in 2023/24.
That’s according to the latest figures published by the Government.
The data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says the borough’s local authority gave out 236 fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping – more than anywhere else in the region.
In total, the council issued 279 for all waste offences, including littering and household duty of care – the second highest figure in Greater Manchester and third highest in the North West.
Although the number of recorded incidents reduced in Tameside from 4,416 in 2022/23 to 2,905 in 2023/24, the data reveals fly-tipping cases rose across the country by six per cent from 1.08 million to 1.15 million.
Government figures suggest illegal waste tipping costs the country £1 billion a year.
Locally, six people were recently slapped with fines after dumping waste in the street in Droylsden following the latest day of action held by council officers, who work with the community to “help make Tameside cleaner, greener and safer” as part of the ‘Our Streets’ campaign.
The executive councillor responsible for environment services and neighbourhoods says the newly-released figures reflect the authority’s “very proactive and robust approach to tackling waste issues”.
But Councillor Laura Boyle also admitted that “any amount of fly-tipping is too much”.
The Droylsden East ward representative added: “It blights the appearance of our neighbourhoods and costs public funds thousands of pounds a year to clear – and we will continue in our concerted efforts to tackle it and take enforcement action against offenders whenever we find evidence.
“My huge thanks goes to our hard-working officers who are out there day in, day out investigating and clearing fly-tipping on behalf of our local community. Thank you also to all members of the community who work with us to tackle fly-tipping and clear litter – most people take immense pride, care and shared responsibility for the places where they live.”
The council is also urging residents to dispose of their waste responsibly by checking the credentials of any third parties removing waste on their behalf – by checking their waste carrier licence, getting a receipt and finding out where they are taking the waste to.
Waste carrier licenses can be checked on the Environment Agency website by clicking here, and fly-tipping incidents in Tameside can be reported on the council website by clicking here.