Croydon Council has launched an appeal to find fly-tippers who have dumped commercial and household waste illegally around a neighbourhood recycling facility, turning it into an eyesore.
CCTV footage on YouTube shows three individuals leaving rubbish, including what appears to be commercial waste and non-recyclable waste, on the street around the bins at the Monks Orchard Recycling Facility, on three separate occasions. This is despite clear signage stating that all recycling must be placed inside the containers. The sign also reminds users that if the bins are full, they should not continue to pile items on and around them, but instead take their recycling back home. Commercial waste and non-recyclable waste are strictly banned from this site.
In one video, a man dumps large oil drums on the street near the bins. Another shows a man throwing what appear to be electrical items at an overflowing bin, leaving them on the floor when he misses. The third shows a man heaping wood in an already overflowing container clearly marked for other materials, leaving more on the floor nearby.
Officers from Croydon Council’s enforcement team have released the footage in an appeal for information that could help identify the perpetrators.
Since April 2017 the council has issued 75 fixed-penalty notices (FPNs) for £80 to people dumping waste illegally at the facility and three FPNs for £400. Last year, a man had his van seized and was later fined £380 for fly-tipping here and carrying waste without a licence after dumping rubble and a washing machine at the location.
“This facility is being abused on pretty much a daily basis by businesses and individuals being irresponsible about how they get rid of their waste, or worse still, blatantly fly-tipping.
“Our contractors clean this facility on a daily basis, all the containers are emptied alternate days, yet as you can see from the footage, the containers are often left overflowing as people heap rubbish on the top and chuck in the wrong containers. Worse still, we regularly see people simply dump stuff on the floor around the bins, turning the place into a rubbish heap and an eyesore. This impacts on nearby residents and everyone who sees it. And we believe businesses are using it to dispose of commercial waste while our taxpayers foot the bill.
“This is just not acceptable. Leaving rubbish on the street is fly-tipping – it doesn’t matter if you do it near a bin or recycling container – if you leave it on the street, you are breaking the law. We will not hesitate to fine or prosecute perpetrators and I would urge anyone who can identify these fly-tippers – or anyone dumping rubbish on the street here or anywhere else – to call our fly-tipping hotline.
Councillor Stuart Collins, deputy leader – Clean Green Croydon
Report fly-tipping by email to flytip@croydon.gov.uk using the My Croydon app or notify the council through My Account. Alternatively, call the fly-tipping hotline on 020 8604 7000. All reports will be treated in confidence.
ENDS
