Agenda item

The Committee received a report of the Corporate Director of Neighbourhoods and Climate Changeand supporting presentation that provided information relating to the work of Durham County Council to address fly tipping issues (for copy of report and slides, see file of minutes).

Ian Hoult, Neighbourhood Protection Manager gave a presentation which highlighted the following areas:

·        The Durham Approach and Regional Comparison;

·        Types of Waste 2020/21;

·        Waste Perspective;

·        Services Response;

·        Education and Awareness;

·        Enforcement Activities;

·        Future Plans.

The Neighbourhood Protection Manager advised that DCC used a multi-agency approach to tackle fly tipping and had done so since 2014 with the introduction of Operation Stop It.  Since that time DCC had a reduction in fly tipping up to June 2020 when figures rose following the closure of HWRC during the pandemic.  However more recently with lifting of restrictions fly tipping was once again reducing and were now back to pre-covid levels.

Members were advised of the most prevalent items fly tipped were of household waste and this accounted for two thirds of fly tipping and this figure was also reflected nationally.  In some areas in the county there were issues with fly tipping in back yards and the service worked with both tenants and private landlords, this is often linked to empty properties. 

However, while fly tipping was an issue it was important to keep it in perspective that fly tipping represents the lowest tonnage of waste collected in County Durham.

The Neighbourhood Protection Manger advised that education and awareness campaigns were back up and running and currently ‘Your Waste Your Responsibility’ was being promoted.  He informed members that the service was working with Crimestoppers in hot spot areas where people may wish to remain anonymous when giving information about fly tipping.  Members of the public could also use social media such as the DCC Wardens Facebook pages for their respective areas (pages include North, South, and East).

Enforcement actions were outlined, and it was highlighted that the service continues to cease more vehicles used in fly tipping and in some cases request permission from the courts to hold on to ceased vehicles.  Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) were also issued with the penalty being £400 but this amount was discounted to £180 if paid within ten days; 65 FPNs had been issued in respect of fly tipping offences.  In relation to littering members were advised of an e-learning course that was offered in certain cases that was at a cost less than the FPN.

Members were advised of the number of CCTV cameras and while the cameras were not a great expense to purchase it was officer time in maintaining CCTV that was a greater cost to the authority.

Members expressed their appreciation to the Neighbourhood Wardens and the Clean and Green teams for the excellent service they provide.

Councillor Townsend noted that abandoned and contaminated recycling bins often end up fly tipped and commented on efforts she had made in relations to an abandoned bin that had been reported over a year ago. She referred to bulky waste and felt that cost and availability was a major factor and queried if anything could be done to make collections more accessible or if the service could be free altogether or at certain times. She also asked about enforcement and educating the public to check for waste carriers licences. The Neighbourhood Protection Manager asked for details of the abandoned bin that had been reported to be forwarded to him which would be followed up. He advised that the ‘Your Waste Your Responsibility’ campaign was aimed to help people understand their responsibility when they hand over waste. Messages were being issues via social media and the public were being encouraged to ask for receipts or make sure they have details on who they give their waste to. It was noted that regular stop and check exercises take place and companies registered to carry waste were available on the Environment Agency website.

The Head of Environment acknowledged waiting times for bulky waste collections was a concern and advised that extra crews had been added to mitigate the issue. There was extra pressure on the bulky waste service during lockdown when household waste sites were closed or had long queues, however, that issue had been resolved and waiting times were more reasonable but continued to be monitored. In relation to the charges, he explained that following Local Government Reorganisation, a charge was introduced across the County as some former districts charged and some did not and noted that following reorganisation, fly tipping incidents reduced which suggested the link was not strong. 

Councillor J Quinn agreed with Councillor Townsend in relation to the abandoned bins and asked if plans were in place to ensure Neighbourhood Wardens continue to carry out duties if further lockdowns were announced. He referred to rubbish tipped in yards which attracted others to also tip and created an accumulation of rubbish and asked if the 6 week turnaround time to clear yards could be reduced. The Neighbourhood Protection Manager advised that during the pandemic, decisions were made for the right reasons and different actions would be taken if there were further lockdowns. He referred to yards that had waste in and advised that the team engage with tenants and landlords in the first instance, however there were a range of legislative powers they could use such as Section 79 notices. Efforts were being made to reduce timescales as yards were causing significant problems and extra resources were required to do re-visits, therefore aimed to resolve issues as quickly as possible.

Councillor Adam referred to the household waste data and queried if the data shown was from individual households or if the waste was from rogue traders. He referred to the types of waste and suggested that making bulky waste collection free would have an impact on reducing fly tipping on roads and streets and added that a cost analysis associated with fly tipping removal would be useful for Members. The Neighbourhood Protection Manager confirmed that removal costs for fly tipping were around £500,000 every year.  Permits were available to residents whose vehicles were not of domestic size.  Legitimate people who carry waste pay for permits, rogue traders would still fly tip if they were offered permits and that rogue traders would continue to undercut legitimate businesses despite the options available to them to dispose of their waste in the correct way, and that fly tipping was more of an issue for former districts when collection was free of charge. In relation to the data, he added that it would be difficult to differentiate if waste was from individual households or rogue traders which reinforces the need to make sure residents understand how to dispose of their waste in a legitimate way. It was noted that there would be future developments around electronic transfer notes which would help ensure waste is more traceable.

Councillor P Atkinson asked if a breakdown of prosecutions and fixed penalty notices figures were available by area. The Neighbourhood Protection Manager confirmed that information would be provided following the meeting, however pointed out that individuals who receive fixed penalty notice/prosecution could live in a different area to where the fly tipping incidence happened. An address of a person receiving a FPN cannot be disclosed.  However, information relating to the number of people receiving enforcement actions for fly tipping in those areas were publicised.

Councillor Elmer was pleased to see positive rates of fly tipping in County Durham in comparison to the rates regionally and nationally. He praised the work of the Civic Pride team who were proactive in involving local residents to help rebuild pride within communities and highlighted the importance of balance in terms of the proactive approach against reactive resources. The Neighbourhood Protection Manager added that the Civic Pride Team were an important part of his service and explained that seized vehicles were sold and money goes back to the Civic Pride team for the neighbourhood grant schemes which funds education in schools, work with communities and eLearning packages.

Councillor McLean expressed his gratitude for the support he has received from Durham County Council since he was elected. He referred to issues with contaminated bins where enforcement and education has not worked and asked if the Councils collection service could collect contaminated bins from yards. He suggested that suspending the recycling collections for a number of weeks in designated problem areas and have weekly waste collections may address the problem. The Head of Environment advised that solutions to ongoing problems were reviewed regularly and explained the difficulty in removing bins from yards and the particular problems with open access voids. He advised of programmes that were being rolled out to make properties more secure. The importance for people to have the opportunity to recycle was highlighted, however recognised that it was not working in several areas around the County and would look at alternative solutions.

Councillor Sutton-Lloyd agreed that education would be a step in the right direction. He queried the timescales and flexibility of the team and asked for further detail regarding the coordination with partners. The Neighbourhood Protection Manager advised that the Clean and Green team have certain areas to work within and significant amounts of waste are removed proactively. Information and briefing notes on what to look out for were available to share with residents at community meetings. Key hotspot locations were being targeted with signage in laybys to act as a deterrent and they were increasing social media messaging to help people be more aware of their personal responsibility, consequences and steps they can take to protect themselves. It was noted that discussions had taken place whether National campaigning was required, however there has been no developments yet.

In response to a query from Councillor Potts regarding the action taken to target specific hotspot areas, the Neighbourhood Protection Manager advised that work is carried out with the Clean and Green teams in specific locations and adjoining areas and letters are circulated in communities with advice on what to do. He added that they were deploying CCTV to capture images in vulnerable locations and were engaging with the local community for information.  Some people may be worried to speak out and therefore highlighted the use of Crimestoppers which is anonymous.

The Chair thanked the Neighbourhood Protection Manager for his presentation.

Resolved:

That the content of the report and presentation be noted.