Staggering 935 tonnes of fly-tipped waste collected by Luton council since start of crackdown

A shocking 935 tonnes of dumped waste has been collected since Luton council started its crackdown on fly-tipping – enough to fill 134 bin trucks.

And the council is continuing its campaign by issuing more fines, increasing enforcement and cleaning up even more rubbish.

Since the start of the Fly-tipping Response Crew project in December 2020 a whopping 395 fixed penalty notices have been issued, along with 190 education and warning letters, while 32 cases are due to appear in court.

And the Luton Council says it all costs tax payers’ money, which could be better spent elsewhere.

Councillor Maria Lovell portfolio holder for Neighbourhood Services and Community Safety at the Council said: "We all want to live in neighbourhoods that are pleasant and clean and there is just no excuse for making them unpleasant by dumping unwanted items and rubbish.

“It’s staggering that 935 tonnes of dumped rubbish has been collected by our crews since we started our proactive approach to fly-tipping. It’s really important that we are catching the people who are doing it and these penalty notices and prosecutions demonstrate that we are taking action against this criminal behaviour. Their fly-tipping costs the council money that could be spent on vital services.”

The FPN notices were issued for a range of fly-tipping offences, some of which have resulted from the evidence found by the council’s Response Crew and the Neighbourhood Enforcement Team. They proactively visit problem areas and collect any dumped waste and look for anything which can be used for investigation.

The council is still appealing for help to identify offenders through the Wall of Shame campaign, which features videos and images of some of the town’s fly-tipping hotspots.

When moving house or doing DIY, residents must take appropriate steps to ensure they give their waste to a licensed carrier. If they don’t and their rubbish is found dumped and then traced back to them, they are likely to be prosecuted. There are other alternatives such as using one of the council’s tidy tips or organising a bulky waste collection. Residents on benefits can receive special collections free of charge.

You can check if someone is authorised with the Environment Agency, 03708 506 506 or by checking the public register.