Has the introduction of charges caused the increase in fly-tipping?

Fly tipping on Industry Road

Rochdale resident Tony Vose says it has become apparent that there has been an increase of fly-tipping in the borough due to Rochdale Council charging to collect large items of waste. However, Rochdale Council says there is no evidence to support this.

Mr Vose reasons that as some people cannot afford to pay, the charge has resulted in the growth in fly-tipping. He explained: “Over the period of around 30 years or so, there have been four or five separate occasions where the Council has introduced these charges and then the fly-tipping increases, which costs taxpayers more to remove than they charge to collect.

“And so the charging issue has been dropped in the past because of this, and I suspect that sooner or later it will happen again as it is a problem borough-wide.”

A spokesperson for Rochdale Council said: “We believe the increase in reports of fly-tipping is due to the efforts we have made to improve reporting by our officers and residents.

“There is no evidence to show it is due to the introduction [of the charge] a couple years ago of paid for bulky collections.

"We take fly-tipping very seriously in the borough and want to send a clear message that it won’t be tolerated and perpetrators will face prosecution if caught.

“RMBC investigates all incidents of fly-tipping and will arrange for the waste to be removed as soon as possible. Furthermore, we urge residents to report fly-tipping at www.rochdale.gov.uk/flytipping or by contacting us on 0300 303 8884.”