Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Croydon Council has more than doubled fly-tipping fines in a bid to tackle illegal dumping and improve street cleanliness through stricter enforcement.
According to the council, fly-tippers cost it over £1 million in 2024 alone.
Fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for individuals caught fly-tipping will now be raised from £400 to £1000 as part of a new approach to enforce the rules.
To ensure that the Council recovers the money it lost due to environmental crimes without placing additional financial strain on borough inhabitants, the new policy also calls for the creation of a community compliance team.
A spokesperson for Croydon Council said:
“Environmental crimes like fly-tipping have a real negative impact on local communities. They make areas unclean, make them feel unsafe and can encourage other forms of antisocial behaviour (ASB).
Fly-tipping in Croydon can be reported to the Council through Love Clean Streets. Through the waste and street cleansing contract with Veolia, 95 per cent of all reported fly-tips are cleared within 24 hours.”
Executive Mayor of Croydon, Jason Perry, said:
“Fly-tipping is a selfish crime that falls to taxpayers to pay for the clean-up. Increasing fines is just one of the ways we are tackling this issue to restore pride in our borough.
We will continue prosecuting where we have the evidence to do so, so I encourage anyone who sees environmental crimes like fly-tipping in the borough to report the details to the council.”
What additional measures in Croydon Council are implementing to combat fly-tipping?
In an effort to discourage offenders and bring its fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping up to par with other London authorities, the council raised them from £400 to £1,000.
To make sure that the expenses of environmental crimes are recovered without adding to the financial burden on locals, a new team has been formed. This group will concentrate on education and targeted enforcement.
In order to keep the neighborhood safe and clean, Croydon has a contract with Veolia to remove 95% of reported fly tips in less than a day.
In order to increase community involvement in tackling this issue, the council invites citizens to report fly-tipping incidents via websites like Love Clean Streets.
To keep an eye on and discourage fly-tipping, plans call for patrols and the installation of CCTV in high-risk areas.