Site management
Innovative flytipping removal methods – Network Rail
Efforts to clean up a section of railway line in Glasgow have reached new heights, with abseiling equipment being called in to clear waste from an embankment. The £20,000 operation at Bellgrove has removed piles of rubbish including furniture, household waste and drugs paraphernalia since it began. Part of the line embankment is so steep that the clean-up team must use harnesses to climb down and clear it. According to Network Rail:
"The railway in this area has been blighted by flytipping, which poses a real health and safety risk to rail passengers, employees and residents," said David Simpson, Scotland route director. "The job is being made all the more difficult because some of the embankments are incredibly steep."
Site management and regular clearing of flytipping – Forestry Commission (Scotland)
Many of the forest blocks in the Scottish Lowlands Forest District suffer from flytipping and litter problems. When the district was initially formed in 1999 a large number of problem areas needed cleaning up. This was done using contract labour and proved very expensive. The Commission invested in a 7.5 tonne lorry with a hydraulic crane, and later purchased a JCB Fastrac with a 14 tonne trailer to increase the Commission's own capacity to handle flytipping clean-ups. The Commission reports that being able to run regular clean-ups has helped to discourage illegal dumping on its land.
Deterrence
Joined-up enforcement action – British Waterways, Birmingham city centre
An area bordered by up to five scrap yards was taking in 'end of life' vehicles but dumping the tyres. British Waterways sent photographs of the dumped tyres to the local authority and assisted the Environment Agency with subsequent investigations. The Environment Agency also carried out 'sting' operations which were attended by British Waterways. In court, British Waterways has acted as an independent witness for Environment Agency prosecutions.
Using CCTV to deter and enforce against flytipping – Federation of Small Businesses
A local civic amenity site had a big problem with people leaving flytipped waste on a lane outside the amenity gates. The local authority installed cameras, and was able to then target its investigations against a few of the culprits, which has largely resolved the problem. Some councils have provided financial assistance for installing cameras at locations where flytipping is a problem on private land.
Some members of the Federation of Small Businesses, including hotels and restaurants who have car parks that are troubled by flytipping, have installed cameras and signs. This is having a deterrent effect against criminals and has helped to reduce flytipping.
Being alert to potential evidence – National Trust
A volunteer found some flytipping in a car park near a National Trust visitor centre – it was several huge loads of chalk and clay. An architect's drawing was found near the waste. The findings were passed onto the police who followed it up and the architect associated with the The National Trust does not carry out prosecutions itself but has provided evidence to the Environment Agency, local authorities and the police. On one occasion, a warden filmed a flytipping incident and the video footage was used in a successful prosecution. The Trust encourages staff to collect information on any flytipping incidents where they can, and has also held training sessions for its countryside staff in conjunction with the Environment Agency.
The Environment Agency delivered some training to the Estate Team on what they should do if they see someone flytipping and the kind of details they should collect in order to document an incident and to support a potential case as evidence. The Estate Team found the training very useful and thought it was good to forge relationships with the Environment Agency to combat flytipping. Staff are now vigilant about noting registration numbers of suspicious vehicles and take photographs where necessary. Every flytipping incident is recorded – date, times, location, volume, type of waste, crime numbers, staff time involved etc.
For the National Trust it is a challenge to implement preventative measures against fly-tippers, while trying not to deter visitors from visiting National Trust countryside.
Local councils have contacted the Trust and offered to install CCTV surveillance if flytipping is a regular problem. CCTV has been used in lanes outside an estate and this has led to success in reducing flytipping. The Trust has raised the profile of flytipping issues locally by holding talks and providing articles in the local paper.
Using CCTV to deter and enforce against flytipping – Forestry Commission
Fly-tippers were persistently dumping waste in an area of the Commission's land in Scotland. Erecting a barrier did not deter them and people wanting to dump abandoned vehicles had tried to ram the barrier, damaging it on a number of occasions. The installation of CCTV cameras has been an effective deterrent – since the camera was fitted there has been no further damage to the barrier.