Fly-tipping continues to blight Calderdale with fears waste service changes could make it worse

Calderdale Council Cabinet’s budget proposals include utilising the slightly shorter winter hours at the household waste and recycling centres at Halifax, Brighouse, Todmorden, Elland and Sowerby Bridge, and closing each centre for two days a week, on the quieter days.

But at the council’s Strategy and Performance Scrutiny Board, which among others is debating budget proposals, Coun George Robinson said one part of his ward was “inundated” with fly-tipping.

“Has there been an assessment on the effect of fly-tipping of the reduced hours proposals?” he said.

Coun Robinson (Con, Hipperholme and Lightcliffe) said it would also be a good idea for the council to draw up a strategy on how to combat fly-tipping.

There were also capacity issues at the household waste and recycling centres leading to queuing, said Coun Robinson.

“If they have to queue at the tip, will that increase fly-tipping, because people won’t want to wait?” he said.

Cabinet member for Resources, Coun Silvia Dacre said she had read a lot of waste which was fly-tipped was not domestic waste in any event and those dumping it would not have been allowed to take it to one of the centres unless they were sneaking it in without staff being aware of it.

From that point of view the council would not expect a great increase when considering reduced hours proposals.

The council had, among other things, invested in five more cameras to try and trap illegal tippers. The situation was kept under constant review, said Coun Dacre (Lab, Todmorden).

Most queueing was at weekends and the centres would be open at weekends, with the “closed” days at each tip being the quietest of the week.

Coun Jane Scullion, Cabinet member for Regeneration and Strategy, said enforcement was considered carefully.

“Enforcement we look at all the time with the legal team but the cases have to stand up legally,” she said.

It had to be approached carefully – problems sometimes ensued when someone paid a third party who then took the rubbish away and just dumped it.

“We are doing more prosecutions than we used to do,” said Coun Scullion (Lab, Luddenden Foot).

Fly-tipping of waste is illegal and a serious criminal offence which ultimately carries a fine of £50,000 or up to five years in prison if the perpetrator is caught.

From autumn 2019, the council pledged to step up enforcement on fly-tipping using both enforcement and engagement, emphasising if the latter did not work, it would use the former.

As well as using cameras it would include staff wearing body cameras on occasion, councillors were told at that time.