Kirklees Council’s former leader has waded into the fly-tipping debate with some “uncomfortable facts.”
In a personal blog for the Labour group, Clr David Sheard, said the council’s policy of cutting back on items accepted at its tips was not the root cause of fly-tipping.
And he has revealed that more than half of all fly-tipped waste could have gone in our bins without breaking the rules.
Clr Sheard has produced figures from a council report that shows incidents of fly-tipping have gone down since rubble, stone, bricks, turf, paving slabs, ceramics and soil were banned from its waste and recycling centres in 2016.
And he said the changes had saved taxpayers almost £330,000, which is more than the cost of clearing up any fly-tipping that did happen, roughly £288,000 per year.
He said: “Ask anyone and they will tell you that fly-tipping is massively increasing, many will also tell you that it is because the council restricted use of the “Household Waste Sites” (note the word household).
“The fact that over 50% of waste fly-tipped is waste that could be put in black or green bin, and that only 5% constitutes “banned” waste, argue against this perceived wisdom.
“It is an uncomfortable fact that the majority of fly-tipping is done by our friends and neighbours, who on many occasion, put more effort into fly-tipping than would be needed to use their bins or visit the household waste site.
“Last year the changes on what we allow in the sites saved the council £327,000.“
In reference to the government grant cuts that have forced the council’s budget cuts, he added: “The people who voted for austerity and the Conservatives who promote it, are as much to blame for the reduction in services as those who forced the changes by abusing the system.”
A report published alongside Clr Sheard’s blog shows fly-tipping incidents decreased between July and December last year.
In the first quarter of this year they increased again to similar levels seen before the household waste rule changes – between 250 and 350 per month.
The report says: “There does not seem to be a consistent picture with fly-tipping over the last three years.
“The service is working hard to prosecute fly-tipping where evidence is available...”
A full list of what can be taken to the tip is available online at www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/your-property-bins-recycling/household-waste-recycling-centres.aspx
