Clearing each fly tip costs the council £50 on average, totalling to more than £500,000 a year, money that would be much better spent on parks, youth services, or supporting vulnerable people.
Illegal and risky
People who illegally fly tip instead of disposing of their unwanted waste or good legally also face the risk of fines of up to £50,000 and even prison in the worst cases. Please report them at lambeth.gov.uk/report-fly-tipping.
The council also is asking local people to encourage their neighbours to donate unwanted goods to our re-use charity partners, arrange legal collections through the council or private firms or use our waste and recycling services. Details are available at lambeth.gov.uk/rubbish-recycling/bulky-waste.
Word from the Cabinet
Cllr Rezina Chowdhury, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Sustainable Lambeth and Clean Air, said: “I want to thank the majority of Lambeth residents who care for their area, care for their neighbours and legally dispose of their unwanted goods and waste.
“I also want to condemn those who fly tip our streets, wasting public money and selfishly disrespecting their area with their anti-social behaviour.
“The council works to clear fly tipping as quickly as possible, and encourages local people to report incidents, because we want to support pleasant neighbourhoods. But that means we are wasting money on people who have broken the law.
“We want to work with our communities to turn this around and ensure our street cleaning services can best serve our much-loved borough.”
Thousand of incidents
Last year the council investigated more than 2,000 fly tipping incidents, handing out hundreds of warning letters and fines. To further crackdown the council is launching a wall of shame to identify law breakers.
Lambeth offers simple, affordable ways to dispose of bulky items so there’s no excuse for dumping. Residents can book a bulky waste collection online for large items like furniture, mattresses and appliances.
Charity donations instead
Collections are available from inside your property for reusable items through our partnership with Emmaus, helping give furniture and household goods a second life. Standard bulky waste collections are charged at a low fixed fee, making it easy and cost-effective compared to risking a fine.
Cllr Chowdhury said: “We’re working hard to improve our neighbourhoods and keep our streets clean. Help us make a difference by backing this push to tackle the anti-social blight that is fly tipping.”
