Fly-tipping of garden waste costs Telford & Wrekin taxpayers more than £8,000
Clearing up 98 illegal garden waste fly-tips in Telford and Wrekin has cost more than £8,000 in the past 12 months.
Dumping garden waste, including branches and soil, is an offence and Telford & Wrekin Council takes it as seriously as the dumping of rubbish.
A £400 Fixed Penalty Notice was issued to a resident who tossed tree waste on a car park in Waverley, Woodside. They were reported by a Street Champion – who are community-spirited members of the public helping keep the borough clean and safe. The fine could easily have been avoided had the householder put the waste in their green bin.
Councillor Richard Overton (Labour) Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, Enforcement and Transport said:
“A lot of people think fly-tipping garden waste is not as bad as fly-tipping rubbish because it is degradable but it still causes issues and is an offence.
“The dumping of tree waste can cause blocked drains and lead to flooding. In this case, the branches were left on a public car park which prevents people parking safely.
“I’d like to personally thank all our Street Champions who make a real difference to our communities by reporting issues such as fly-tipping.”
If you have a lot of garden waste then home composting is a great way to manage it or you can take it to our household recycling centres which are open seven days a week.
Across the borough there are 1,300 Street Champions who play a valuable role supporting council staff in keeping our neighbourhoods pleasant places to live.
The council's Street Champion coordinator David Maiden, said:
“They get involved with litter picking, cutting back overhanging branches and maintaining community gardens.
“They also act as the eyes and ears of the community and we encourage them to report broken street lighting, or abandoned shopping trolleys and in this case fly-tipping through the MyTelfordapp
“For the volunteers it’s a way of giving back and being a positive role model.”
For more information about Street Champions and to apply visit Introduction - Street Champions - Telford & Wrekin Council
We encourage people to report fly tips online through our initiative Telford and Wrekin Watch. You can also call 01952 388800 and give us information confidentially.
