Redbridge’s ‘Illegal Dumping’ campaign highlights harmful impact of fly-tipping on communities
Published: 27 June 2021
Redbridge Council is running an anti-illegal dumping campaign highlighting the damage caused to communities every time someone dumps their trash on the borough’s streets.
The eye-catching campaign is being re-run for two months following its success last year, which saw a significant drop in fly-tipping in the areas the campaign was run.
Hoping to replicate last year’s success, the campaign aims to educate and encourage behaviour change in the borough to tackle fly-tipping.
The re-run kicked off this week (Monday June 28) with posters, adverts and leaflets flagging how dumped rubbish affects local communities, including attracting vermin, making neighbourhoods messy and posing a danger to residents.
The campaign is also being supported with information and tips across the council’s social media channels on waste disposal. A series of educational videos has also been released offering information about rubbish disposal, and how to report illegal dumping in Redbridge.
Alongside the videos, campaign posters are also being featured on advertising vans driven around fly-tipping hotspots, as well as anti-illegal dumping adverts on buses travelling along routes near problem areas.
The posters highlight the ‘disgusting’ and ‘disrespectful behaviour’ of those dumping rubbish, along with the message that mess making culprits risk a £400 fine every time they ditch their trash on the borough’s streets.
Cabinet Member for Environment and Civic Pride Cllr Jo Blackman said: “Not only is rubbish dumped on our streets a real eyesore, but it destroys neighbourhoods. There are many ways to dispose of waste easily, properly and legally.
“Discarding rubbish on the street should never be an option, and yet some people think it is. Every time we clear illegally dumped rubbish off our streets it costs us resources and money, which could have been avoided and better spent elsewhere on other services for residents.
“Our ‘Illegal Dumping’ campaign aims to educate and inform to help people make the right choices when it comes to disposing of their rubbish.”
The Leader of Redbridge Council, Cllr Jas Athwal added: “Redbridge is our home and we each owe it to our neighbours to keep our streets tidy and clear of rubbish.
“Dumping rubbish is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our borough. We have enforcement teams patrolling, investigating fly tips and tracking down the culprits alongside campaigns like this one to help educate local people on the true impact of dumping rubbish.”
Residents are strongly urged to report any fly-tips they see via the council’s Report It page, which enables residents to make a report quickly and easily, and attach images of the fly-tip: https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/report-it/
Redbridge’s ‘Illegal Dumping’ campaign supports its ongoing community engagement and enforcement work to crackdown on fly-tipping.
Recently a two-day council led fly-tipping operation resulted in 5 tonnes of rubbish being cleared from 91 fly-tips across the East and South of the borough, along with 19 local people being hit with fines totalling £7000 between them after the piles of dumped rubbish were traced back to them.
Joint patrols between the council’s Street Cleansing Team, and Enforcement Officers are also taking place every weekend to tackle fly-tip hot spots around the borough.
As part of its Our Streets strategy, the council is taking a zero-tolerance stance on grime crime and will fine or prosecute any individual or business caught dumping rubbish in Redbridge.
All fly tips made known to the council are recorded and investigated, with enforcement action being taken if evidence is found. The council aims to clear all recorded fly-tips within 24 hours of it being reported.
For more information about disposing of waste and recycling in the borough please visit: www.redbridge.gov.uk/waste
To view the Illegal Dumping campaign videos, go to:
Illegal Dumping - I didn't know, I do now
https://youtu.be/lsc3umJ_SjY
Illegal Dumping - Don't dump waste on the street
https://youtu.be/kcdHqux1jLA
Illegal Dumping - Caught
https://youtu.be/oJ4lDg_SE-E
Illegal Dumping - What do people think
https://youtu.be/RJJYlL1Um08
