Waste crime, the illegal dumping of household and commercial waste, is a massive issue. It is causing damage to the environment, wildlife, and farms (including crops and livestock). Alarmingly, the latest data says it reached record levels in England. Let’s have a closer look, then if you need to arrange skip hire in Hartlepool or other areas to legitimately and safely dispose of waste, you can rely on us.
The stats
In February the Government released the data for fly tipping on public land in England in 24/25. Sadly, there was a 9% increase over the previous year. Local councils had to deal with 1.26 million cases, including on highways and in parks. It was a new record.
Household waste is the most common type of rubbish, accounting for 62% of the cases in 24/25. This was up 13% year on year. Additionally, while there were some huge incidents, the majority were smaller van (31%) or car boot (27%) loads of waste.
One thing to note is the stats only account for fly tipping on public land. There is also a huge problem with waste crime on private land, especially in rural areas. In fact, some farmers experience multiple incidents every single month. Many have to resort to installing CCTV, lighting, and other deterrents in the hope of preventing dumping on their land. Talk to us about skip hire in Hartlepool or other areas.
Crime gangs
One of the biggest concerns is much of the waste crime is done by organised gangs. They pose as real waste removal companies but then simply dump all the rubbish in rural areas where they are less likely to be caught. This puts money in the hands of criminals. It can go on to finance even more serious crimes.
What to do?
Tackling the problem is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. One of the big issues is there is simply too much ground to cover and many areas lack resources, including police and enforcement officers.
Gavin Lane, President of the CLA, said they want to see harsher penalties to “reflect the severity of the crime”. Most notably, they are proposing that police seize vehicles involved in fly tipping because it would send a strong message that there are “real consequences” to waste crime.
On top of the penalties, the CLA is also pushing for several other actions. First is appointing a commissioner to improve co-ordination and enforcement. Second is fines for businesses and homeowners when waste is traced back to them. Finally, they want more support for victims, particularly farmers, as they have to deal with the costs of cleaning up rubbish dumped on their land.
Choose the best services for skip hire in Hartlepool
At L&C, we know how important it is to manage waste effectively. It helps to protect the environment, wildlife, and people. At the same time, it provides a better chance to save materials and improve sustainability. We do everything we can to process and sort the rubbish in our skips to get the best results.
So, if you want to arrange skip hire in Hartlepool or other local areas, speak to us or book online. You can ask us for advice if you need any information too, including skip sizes and disposing of different types of rubbish.