The quiet crisis making a big mess

Eleven years ago, I shared a tale in the MEN about losing my cool over fly-tipping, sparked by a bloke in a 4x4 tossing rubbish from his car. Fast forward to now, and fly-tipping has skyrocketed in Greater Manchester, costing taxpayers £2m annually to clean up. Salford alone reported 7,610 incidents last year, up 15% from the year before, costing over £400,000. Councillor Barbara Bentham highlighted the strain on community resources and urged locals to vet waste disposal services to avoid scams.

Other councils, like Wigan, Oldham, and Bury, are seeing similar increases, with mounting clearance costs affecting essential services. In response, councils are ramping up enforcement, urging communities to report fly-tipping and support clean-up initiatives. Dr. Anna Scott from Keep Britain Tidy emphasised the importance of community involvement to tackle the issue effectively.

While courts impose low fines for fly-tippers, tougher legislation is necessary to curb this growing problem. Salford Council advises checking a company’s waste carrier registration, ensuring receipts are provided, to help prevent further issues. It’s a shared responsibility to protect our local environment!

Read the full article at Manchester Evening News