An anti-flytipping campaign which saw flytipping reduce by 50 percent has led to the initiative being widened, with residents and businesses being thanked for their support.
The Your Waste is Your Responsibility initiative has now also been shortlisted in the National Recycling Awards campaign of the year category, with work to deter flytipping also continuing, including directly talking to residents in parts of Mottingham, encouraging them to report flytipping and outlining waste disposal options that are available. Parts of Penge and Mottingham saw flytip incidents reduce by 50 percent following the first phase of the campaign. Items such as mattresses, electrical appliances and bags left outside recycling banks have made up most of the fly-tips recorded on Bromley’s roads.
Fly-tipping is a criminal offence and can result in a penalty notice of £400 or even a prison sentence. Bromley’s enforcement team and Veolia are working together to tackle the issue. As part of the Your Waste is Your Responsibility campaign, hotspots areas are being targeted with advice posters being erected and information about waste disposal options being shared with residents in support of the campaign, with enforcement investigation work also taking place. The council is also rewarding people who successfully help the prosecution of an offender.
Councillor Aisha Cuthbert, Executive Councillor for Environment said, “We all have a part to play in tackling the dangerous menace of flytipping and a big thank you to residents and businesses who have shown their support. Thank you for reporting dumped rubbish you come across in your local area. Prompt reporting helps us tackle the problem as quickly as possible. Thank you to residents and businesses who are doing the responsible thing when it comes to disposing of their waste, be that a simple black sack of rubbish to bulky items or even building materials.”
David Fitzgerald, General Manager, Veolia said, "Our street cleaning teams work hard to keep Bromley clean and tidy. We are working with Bromley Council to educate residents and businesses on their responsibilities in disposing of waste responsibly and correctly. Protecting the environment and keeping the community clean and safe are our primary goals and together with Bromley residents we can accomplish these."
Residents are reminded that they need to properly check the credentials of anyone being employed to remove unwanted items or waste from their home. Legally, any trader responsible for removing waste from a property needs to be a registered Environment Agency waste carrier. Whilst a business can be fined up to £5000 for not registering, householders can also be prosecuted for using an unlicensed waste carrier.
Fly-tipping problems can quickly and easily be reported on the council’s website www.bromley.gov.uk/report. Problems can be reported quickly and easily along with photos too. However, in emergencies, when a road is completely blocked for instance, fly-tipping should be reported by phone so that priority attention can be given.
Anyone with more fly-tipping information or other enviro crime evidence should go to www.bromley.gov.uk/envirocrime to let the council know the details and they could be rewarded with up to £500 as a thank you.
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Notes to the editor
About Veolia UK
Veolia London has activities in over half of London's boroughs. These activities range from recycling and waste management services for businesses and households, street cleansing and the maintenance of parks and open spaces, to the operation of modern waste recycling, treatment and disposal facilities.
Veolia group is the global leader in optimized resource management. With over 179,000 employees worldwide, the group designs and provides water, waste and energy management solutions which contribute to the sustainable development of communities and industries. Through its three complementary business activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, preserve available resources, and to replenish them.
In 2019, the Veolia group supplied 98 million people with drinking water and 67 million people with wastewater service, produced nearly 45 million megawatt hours of energy and converted 50 million metric tons of waste into new materials and energy. Veolia Environnement (listed on Paris Euronext: VIE) recorded consolidated revenue of €27.189 billion in 2019 (USD 29.9 billion). www.veolia.com
For more information visit us at www.veolia.co.uk or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/veoliauk
For media enquiries, please contact Andrew Rogers, Head of Public Affairs, on 020 8461 7670 or email Andrew.Rogers@bromley.gov.uk