Fly-tipping costs Newham £3million to clean up

Cllr Ian Corbett, mayoral advisor for environment and leisure at the East Ham Depot, to see what's being done to tackle fly-tipping in the borough. (Image: Archant)

Figures released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs show that in 2013/14, the borough spent £3,026,234 on cleaning up rubbish left on streets, parks and public spaces.

Of that figure, £1,317,847 was spent removing less than a car boot full of rubbish, while a further £1,066,072 was spent on removing the equivalent of a small van load.

Cllr Ian Corbett, the mayoral advisor for environment and leisure, explained the council’s policy to deal with fly-tipping immediately contributed to the high number of instances recorded.

He said: “We’re collecting it up as soon as it’s reported, rather than leave it and have people add more things to it.

Fly-tipping, which has become a major problem in Newham (photo: Arnaud Stephenson) (Image: Archant)

“It means we could be collecting three lots of litter instead of one but we don’t want to leave it on the street.”

Of the 67,930 incidents recorded, 58,394 of them took place on the highway, with another 8,581 on council land. On two occasions, rubbish was dumped on railway lines.

The council said it has been working to reduce the number of incidents, which averages at 186 a day, by running a service to collect bulky waste for free. It also runs the free Jenkins Lane Re-use and Recycling Centre.

CCTV footage is also being used to identify fly-tippers, with magistrates fining a man £1,000 in August for dumping waste in Canning Town.

A council spokesman said: “These estimated costs, from 2006, are for each individual fly tip. The actual cost is lower as Newham Council’s street cleansing team are tasked with collecting fly tips as part of their routine duties.”

She added: “We strive to ensure that the borough’s streets are clean and safe.”

Fly-tipping can be reported online, by phone or on the Love Newham app.