Gateshead has recorded a significant decrease in fly tipping cases since lockdown but concerns remain regarding larger scale fly-tipping.
According to council figures presented to the housing, environment and healthier communities overview and scrutiny committee between April 2021 and April 2022 there were 5,638 fly-tips collected. This is a significant decrease from the lockdown peak of 2020 and 2021 where 9,513 fly-tips were collected.
The vast proportion of these tips were located in the wards of Saltwell, Lobley Hill and Bensham, and Felling. The most common kind of rubbish illegally abandoned included “single or car boot sized” volumes of bin bags filled with household waste.
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The most common location for these tips were back alleys, accounting for 2,458 of tips recorded in 2021/22.
The reduction of fly-tipping has been credited to the new booking systems put in place last year at waste facilities in Wrekenton and Blaydon. Initially, there were fears the new system may lead to increased incidences of fly-tipping but the report's statistics do not indicate this.
Councillors praised the work being done in tackling the issue. The councillor for Windy Nook and Whitehills, Tom Graham said: “I have nothing but praise for what in old money was the LES team. I find them to be the most responsive team in the council.
“They are doing a dirty, stinking job which nobody else wants to do and I think they are doing a great job”.
The chair of the committee, Dunston and Teams councillor Brenda Clelland also extended her thanks to the fly-tipping clear up team. The report did however acknowledge that while smaller scale urban tips have decreased, larger scale tips in more rural areas are increasing.
Council officers also informed the committee progress is slow in prosecuting larger scale fly-tipping operations as the work to do this is “time consuming and detailed”. Pandemic-related delays in the magistrate court system also continue to exacerbate the issue.
Members of the public can report fly-tipping on the council’s website.
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