Cornwall Council is inviting local residents who have been affected by fly tipping on their land to give their views on the causes and scale of the issue and identify any potential solutions.

Last year the council introduced a charging system at its Household Waste Recycling Centres for ‘non household’ items of waste such as car tyres, rubble/soil, asbestos and plaster board.

Dealing appropriately with these types of waste is very costly and one of the aims of the new charges, which have been introduced by many other local authorities, was to ensure that people depositing the waste paid towards the costs of its disposal rather than the cost being met by all council tax payers in Cornwall.

It was also hoped that the introduction of charges for these types of wastes would help tackle the problem of tradespeople trying to dispose of their waste free of charge through HWRC’s rather than through the proper channels.

All other household waste can still be deposited at the HWRC’s free of charge.

“We recognised that there could be a potential increase in fly tipping in the short term following the introduction of charges as some people would wish to avoid paying for their waste to be disposed of” said Joyce Duffin, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Environment.

“We have always recorded the number of fly tips on public and private land, and have been monitoring this issue closely to see if there would be an increase in the number of incidents. While this shows that there has been an increase in the number of incidents reported to the Council, this reflects a national increase in fly tipping across the country.

“However not all the items being fly tipped are ones which people have to pay to dispose of. In fact one of the most frustrating aspects of this increase is that many of the items being fly tipped can actually still be taken to the HWCR free of charge”.

Fly tipping is a criminal offence and anyone caught carrying out this unlawful activity faces significant financial penalties or imprisonment. While the council clears fly tipped waste on public land , it is not responsible for clearing fly tips from private land. Although officers work with landowners to prosecute offenders where there is evidence, it is the responsibility of the land owner to pay for the clearance of fly tipped material from private land

Following the introduction of the charges it was agreed to review the situation in September to assess the impact of the decision and identify any changes which might need to be made to the council’s policy. As part of this process members of the Council’s Scrutiny Management Committee wanted to seek the views of landowners who have been affected by fly tipping of these waste streams.

“While we have achieved significant savings for council tax payers as a result of the introduction of the charges at HWRC’s, it is important that we consider all the issues, including the potential impact on private landowners” added Joyce Duffin.

“We would like to hear from anyone who has been the victim of fly tipping with their views on the scale of the problem, the impact of the introduction of the charges on fly tipping, and how the Council is dealing with the issue” said Neil Burden, Chair of the Scrutiny Management Committee. “ We would also be interested in hearing any suggestions for improving the current situation.”

Anyone wishing to give their views is asked to send their comments in writing either by email to refuseandrecycling@cornwall.gov.uk or by post to Refuse and Recycling Team, Room 1, Western Group Centre, Radnor Road, Scorrier, TR16 5EH by Friday, 11 September. Comments received by this date will be taken into account by the Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 30 September.

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