New enforcement team to help tackle fly-tipping

A new enforcement team will be in action this summer in Bridgend county borough to help tackle fly tipping and waste issues.

Bridgend County Borough Council has set aside funding to tackle these crimes following a rise in the number of incidents.

Fly-tipping is illegally dumping waste and anyone found guilty of fly-tipping can be fined up to £50,000 and face up to six months in prison. This can be increased to five years if hazardous waste is dumped, such as toxic waste or asbestos.

While the local authority’s Cleaner Streets Team are proactive in identifying illegal fly-tipping and there is a collaboration in place with volunteers, community groups and the probation service to help clear waste, the dedicated new team will be able to focus entirely on the issue.

The enforcement team will start this summer. In the meantime all fly-tipping incidents on council-maintained land should be reported to cleanupthecounty@bridgend.gov.uk and it will be investigated and cleared if appropriate.

Environmental crime is a serious offence so please make sure you do the right thing with your waste.

The council’s director for communities Janine Nightingale

A smartphone application produced by Fly Tipping Action Wales which is sponsored by the Welsh Government and coordinated by Natural Resources Wales is being rolled out across Wales to enable people to record fly-tipping incidents and help provide an overview of hotspots.

It is hoped the app will help local authorities target problem areas and crack down on incidents of waste being illegally dumped on land.