London,
21
January
2022
|
11:24
Europe/London

New Camden team to increase action on littering and fly tipping

Six new enforcement officers will be out and about issuing fines against offenders who fly tip and litter the streets.

The Council’s Environment Enforcement Team will target known littering and fly tipping hotspots.

They will also provide a new night-time enforcement service to catch those abusing Camden’s environment under cover of darkness.

At the same time, Veolia is to begin deploying dedicated waste collection vehicles directly to known fly tipping hotspots to clear illegally dumped waste from our streets more quickly.

Veolia crews attending reports of fly tipped waste, or patrolling known hotspots, will be accompanied by these additional Enforcement Officers, who will collect evidence from the waste before it is removed – improving the likelihood of identifying offenders.

This service will begin by initially targeting known fly tipping hotspots in West Hampstead and Kilburn. Crews will be visible to residents in newly branded fly tip vehicles.

Councillor Adam Harrison, Cabinet member for a Sustainable Camden

“Fly tipping is an issue that our residents care deeply about. It has a huge impact on our streets and, ultimately, Camden taxpayers end up footing the bill to clean up after other people’s irresponsibility.

“We remain determined to take action against those responsible. With the new resources we are putting in place, we’ll clear litter and fly tips from our streets more quickly, but we will also collect more evidence to catch offenders.

“We already doubled the fine for fly tipping to £400. Now we need to go further. We also offer free collections for large electrical items. There is no need to dump these on the street – residents should contact Clearabee via the website to arrange their free large electrical item collection.”

Councillor Adam Harrison, Cabinet member for a Sustainable Camden

Councillor Richard Olszewski, Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation said:

“We know the problems caused by people leaving waste and rubbish out incorrectly, including fly tipping.

“This is why I am pleased to have been able to allocate funding towards extra vehicular support to ensure our streets are as clean and tidy as possible."

The service

The new officers are to be provided by Kingdom Services Group as part of a shared contract with Ealing, Harrow, Hounslow, and Barnet Councils, and they will begin patrols in the borough in the coming weeks.

Penalties for fly tipping and littering

Fly tipping includes those items left on the street when it is not the designated collection time. This can include bags of rubbish as well as larger items such as furniture.

Camden issues fines of £400 for fly tipping offences (reduced to £200 if paid within 10 days). Unpaid fines, or persistent offences, can lead to prosecution in Court and an unlimited fine.

For littering – which includes dropping cigarette butts and food and drinks packaging – the council can issue an on-the-spot £100 fine (reduced to £80 if paid within 10 days).

Reporting street cleaning issues

Residents can use the Love Clean Streets app to report street cleaning issues, such as illegally dumped rubbish, dog mess, graffiti, and litter, or by calling Veolia on 020 3567 8105.

Last year we cleared 99% of fly tips within the agreed timeframe, of 16,466 reported through the Love Clean Streets app.

Disposing of bulk waste

Bulky waste and large items that don’t fit in your bin can be taken to Regis Road Reuse and Recycling Centre and disposed of free of charge (booking required).

Residents can book a bulky waste collection by calling 020 3567 8105.

Residents can also book a free collection of large and difficult to handle electrical items through Clearabee.

Private waste collectors can be used. However, residents have a legal responsibility to check beforehand that they are a licensed waste carrier and to make sure that waste is dealt with safely and legally.

To find out more about waste collection in Camden please click here.