Albion\’s ABC\’s of Waste Management – F

F – Fly-tipping

Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of waste, commonly left next to roads, in fields and in rivers. The nature and amount of waste can vary differently from as little as a single bag of house hold rubbish to waste of much larger quantities up to thousands of tonnes, like construction or demolition waste for example. While similar to common littering, fly tipping involves taking the waste from the place where it was produced with intent of illegally disposing of it.

The primary reason someone would fly tip is usually a financial one. It can be perceived that by simply dumping rubbish rather than going through proper processes and facilities that money and time can be saved. Therefore, it could be argued that lack of waste disposal facilities attribute to this illegal disposal of waste however laziness and public attitudes that someone else clear it up also have a part to play in this. While it may be a financial gain to some who fly-tip, the bill is ultimately footed by the tax payer as it was estimated that the cost of fly-tipping for the local authorities in Scotland was over £75 million in 2014. Also, private land owners are impacted financially by this as it is left as their responsibility to clear the land, which various sources have estimated the cost to be £50-£150 million per year. This doesn’t apply so much in Scotland as a lot of local authorities have  agreements with landowners to dispose of waste at no cost to the landowner.

As well as financial, fly-tipping can have social and environmental implications. The waste left can pose a threat to local environment and wildlife. For example, chemicals from the waste could potentially contaminate soil while some waste also might attract vermin, in turn spreading disease. This could spoil enjoyment of towns and countryside and reduce civic pride. Some areas may suffer repeatedly from fly-tipping, which can have quite a knock on effect to the area where property prices may decrease and local businesses can suffer.

Further information can be found National Fly-tipping Prevention Group