Following a successful pilot scheme, Sandwell Council has announced that it will continue its Environment Response Team to tackle significant hot spots of fly-tipping and overgrowth.
The pilot, which ran from January to August 2022, showed that a multi-team approach was able to resolve a long-standing, significant issues at various sites that would have been unable to be resolved to an acceptable standard by one team such as street cleansing.
For example, at one site, fly-tipping had been embedded within the overgrowth and the site had become a health hazard with overgrowth making much of an alleyway and surrounding paths inaccessible to older people and people with disabilities. Without clearance, the fly-tipping would also likely have worsened with more people littering an already heavily littered area.
Sites across all six towns were tackled. The sites tackled in the pilot were decided by three criteria:
- The site has significant waste and overgrowth that cannot be quickly or easily addressed through ‘business as usual’ services.
- The site is visible to the public and/or used by the community.
- The site has environmental health, accessibility and/or safety issues because of the waste and overgrowth.
During the pilot large amounts of waste were removed including:
- 233 van loads of general rubbish
- 521 van loads of green waste
- 184 van loads of woodchipped waste (which was re used throughout parks and shrubs beds.)
- The feedback was significantly positive from residents and members.
- Multiple residents commented how happy they were with the pilot.
- Business benefited with cleaner areas and safer access to their businesses.
Councillor Zahoor Ahmed, Sandwell Council's cabinet member for environmental services, said: "We all want to live and work in a clean and safe Sandwell. The pilot has demonstrated how efficient and successful this multi-team, collaborative approach can. This approach can lead to communities being able to reclaim pride in their own neighbourhoods and work together with the council to continue to maintain the improved areas."
Sandwell’s environmental protection officers will continue to issue £100 fixed penalty notices for littering and £400 fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping during this pilot.
Fly-tipping can be dangerous, pollute land and waterways and costs the taxpayer significant amounts of money to clear away.
If you are want to report fly-tipping that you believe is a danger to the public, for example if it is blocking a road or there are dumped chemicals, please call us immediately on 0121 368 1177. Our opening hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 5.30pm. If it's not dangerous, please report it via My Sandwell.