Disposing of furniture in the street is a crime
A new campaign is well underway reminding householders it is a criminal offence to dispose of household items in the street.
Brighton & Hove City Council has joined a national publicity drive by Keep Britain Tidy called Crime Not To Care (# CrimeNotToCare).
Cityclean’s project team and a flytipping crew will be out today, dressed in orange jumpsuits, to identify and highlight, as well as clear flytips.
Last year the council recorded over 2,600 cases of flytipping, costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of pounds to clear up. Nationwide there are around half a million cases a year.
The council’s Cityclean staff are aiming to highlight 100 flytips in Brighton & Hove. They are handing out leaflets reminding people that leaving large items out in the street is a criminal offence and advising how to dispose of things properly – including via council special collections.
Residents are being urged to check that anyone collecting their waste has the required licence.
To underline the law, staff have also started using police-style tape to cordon-off ‘environmental crime scenes’ and wearing orange jumpsuits with ‘balls and chains’ to post pictures of flytipping and highlight how it is a criminal offence.
CCTV cameras are now being moved around flytipping hotspots to catch offenders.
Chair of the council’s environment committee Cllr Gill Mitchell said: “It has got to the stage where illegal flytipping has become normal among otherwise law-abiding residents. People think it’s the done thing to put stuff into the street, leave things out for others to help themselves or dump large items alongside communal bins or recycling sites. In fact it’s a criminal offence and makes the place look a terrible mess. So we’re trying re-educate people about what the law is and the waste disposal services available.”
A study by a furniture company this week claimed Brighton & Hove issued the highest number of fines in the country for UK councils, with 105 fines given out in 2015/16.
More information
Find out more about the Keep Britain Tidy campaign