More than 150 locals have now joined Croydon Council’s crackdown on fly-tipping and rubbish in the borough.
From young parents to pensioners, people from across the borough have signed up to become community champions for the council’s Don’t Mess With Croydon – Take Pride campaign.
Since October alone, community champions have cleared 20 tonnes of waste, used 250 litres of paint to spruce up local areas, reported shop parades with litter problems and led litter-picking days.
The Don’t Mess With Croydon – Take Pride campaign is aimed at combining the help of volunteers with council action to encourage recycling and lead enforcement against the worst culprits.
Since launching the initiative last June, the council has:
- Issued around 150 fixed penalty notices of up to £80
- Carried out around 250 business licence inspections
- Cleared 85% of reported fly-tipped waste within 48 hours
- Seen over 4,000 people report fly-tipping issues
A report will go to the council’s Cabinet next Monday to give an update on the campaign’s progress and its plans for the New Year. This will include a six-month trial in Upper Norwood of street bins with separate sections for black bag rubbish and recyclable waste. This is aimed at discouraging residents who live in flats above shops from leaving black bags by lamp posts.
A “village-based” approach will also be trialled across the borough, where area enforcement officers, contractors and other council staff link together in dedicated areas and communicate with each other to deal with any mess in local communities. Environmental enforcement officers pursue fly-tipping and lead more complex investigations.
Other actions for 2015 include:
- Prosecutions for fly-tipping, including one scheduled for February
- A more streamlined computer system to process fly-tipping reports faster
- Around 100 extra street bins
- School art competitions promoting recycling and taking pride in Croydon
“From teachers and artists to builders and singers, it’s wonderful that so many locals are taking pride in their borough and bolstering the work being done by our dedicated staff.
“On top of this fantastic support from volunteers, council officers across departments continue to crack down on fly-tipped rubbish through smarter working and enforcement action.”
Councillor Stuart Collins, deputy leader – Clean Green Croydon
[feather_share]
For more information on the campaign or to join up, visit http://www.croydon.gov.uk/environment/dontmess/dont-mess
