Stoke-on-Trent City Council pleads with residents to stop fly-tipping

Fly-tipping is illegal. Stoke-on-Trent City Council has issued over 77 fixed penalty notices for the crime in August, alone. Now we are pleading with residents to stop the crime.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council pleads with residents to stop fly-tipping

Fly-tipping is illegal. Stoke-on-Trent City Council has issued over 77 fixed penalty notices for the crime in August, alone. Now we are pleading with residents to stop the crime.

Each year, fly-tipping costs over £500,000 in clean-up costs, with funds coming straight from public funds, which could be spent on much-needed services.

Councillor Carl Edwards, cabinet member for environment and housing has said: “This has to stop. Fly-tipping is a crime and a scourge on the environment. Every day teams from the council conduct clean-up operations from illegally dumped household waste and every day I receive letters and comments from members of the public telling me the council is wasting money, I wholeheartedly agree that we are wasting money cleaning up illegally dumped waste when we have facilities to take this kind of thing.”

Stoke-on-Trent City Council boasts two waste recycling centres in the city, which are open 35 hours a week.

Hanford is open: Wed - Sun 8am – 4:30pm (last entry at 4:15pm)

Burslem is open: Fri – Tues 9am – 4:30pm (last entry at 4:15pm)

We are calling on residents to act.

Not only can waste attract pests, but is also a magnet for anti-social behaviour, including fires.

The damage to the environment, including much-needed eco-systems can be catastrophic in some cases.

In June 2020 an illegal fly-tipping case involving waste engine oil in Tunstall caused major concerns for the environment and a significant cost to the taxpayer in clearing away engine oil from an alleyway. The quick actions of the city council prevented the oil from entering the watercourse without the need for assistance from the Environment Agency and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue. The city council’s Environmental Crime Team were able to track down the offending vehicle and it was ultimately crushed.

The Environmental Crime Unit have been very successful in pursuing residents and businesses who constantly foul our streets, pavements and green spaces. Most recently the Unit visited Brocksford Street, Carron Street and Oldfield Street in Fenton after reports of household waste swamping residential streets. The Environmental Crime Unit have issued 50 Fixed Penalty Notices in the Fenton ward since January 2022 for waste offences including littering, fly-tipping and household duty of care.

We are also urging residents to ‘think before you chuck’ any items away, local Facebook marketplace, community groups, charities and individuals could potentially benefit from repurposing old furniture.

Bulky waste collections are available for large household items and can be booked at www.stoke.gov.uk