Fly tipping cost over £250,000 to clean up last year

Fly tipping in Rochdale

Fly tipping cost local taxpayers £259,732 to clean up last year, according to figures released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

There were 5,112 incidents of fly-tipping in Rochdale, 4% of all fly-tipping in the North West.

Places where waste was tipped in Rochdale

• Footpath/bridleway – 210
• Back alleyway – 1,338
• Railway – 5
• Agricultural – 5
• Private/residential – 267
• Commercial – 129
• Watercourse – 53
• Other (unidentified) – 121

Waste type in Rochdale 

• Animal carcass – 21
• Green – 147
• Vehicle parts – 75
• White goods – 200
• Other electricals – 54
• Tyres – 105
• Asbestos – 10
• Clinical – 28
• Demolition – 483
• Commercial black bags – 154
• Household black bags – 1,726
• Chemical drums, oil or fuel – 4
• Other household waste – 1,900
• Other commercial waste – 29
• Unidentified – 176

71% of fly tips in Rochdale involved household waste, above the national rate of 67%. 

Total incidents involving household waste increased by 8% from 2015/16.

Since 2015/16, the number of other unidentified waste type incidents has increased by 14% nationally, but just 3.4% in the Rochdale borough.

1,219 incidents of fly tipping on highways were recorded in Rochdale with most waste dumped on council land in 1,765 cases.

Nationally, the most common place for fly tipping to occur was on highways, which accounted for almost half (49%) of total incidents in 2016/17.

As in the last few years, the most common size category for fly-tipping incidents across the country in 2016/17 was equivalent to a ‘small van load’ (33% of total incidents), followed by the equivalent of a ‘car boot’ (27%).

Investigation actions cost Rochdale Council £168,696 for the year.

546 warning letters, 277 statutory notices and seven fixed penalty notices were issued by Rochdale Council, costing £18,018, £9,141 and £231, respectively.

Five vehicles were seized, costing £165, and 14 prosecution actions served. 19 formal cautions took place, costing £627 and a total of £2,060 was received from ten fines.

Rochdale Borough Council did not respond to an invitation to comment.