The waste generated at Christmas goes up by 30% compared to other times of the year meaning the risk of fly-tipping increases. Find out how to prevent this in your community over the festive period below.
Over 1 billion Christmas cards alone are thrown away each year, which is only one of the factors that contribute to the large amount of waste created during this time.
The increased production of waste brings an increased risk of fly-tipping that creates a heavy financial burden on Local Authorities and councils.
Having supported multiple councils with this issue, we explore the link between Christmas and fly-tipping rates, and how you can prevent your community from falling victim to this crime.
How Does Christmas Impact Fly-Tipping Rates?
Christmas produces more packaging, wrapping paper and leftover food than other times of the year, all of which need to be disposed of correctly.
However, many councils and local authorities have noted an increase in fly-tipping around Christmas which is often linked to the increased waste production and the struggle to manage this for some households.
The large amount of waste produced can place pressure on household waste disposals and other waste collection units available to the community which leads some to take the decision to illegally dump their waste.
Furthermore, unauthorised waste collectors see Christmas as a chance to take advantage of households by charging individuals cheaper rates to remove their waste which they then continue to dump illegally, leaving residents at risk of liability.
The Consequences of Fly-Tipping on Local Authorities
The main consequence most will be aware of is the heavy financial burden that is created by fly-tipping for Local Authorities due to the clean-up costs that they will be expected to cover if no individual can be found responsible for it.
Although, there are several other consequences that Local Authorities can be left with:
- Environmental Damage - The illegal dumping of waste can pollute waters, attract pests and negatively impact the surrounding wildlife.
- Community Impact - Fly-tipping can be demoralising for the local community, impact residents’ quality of life and even reduce the property value there.
- Resource Allocation Issues - Local Authorities have to support and respond to various issues and a high number of fly-tipping incidents could lead to resources being removed from other areas to cover this.
- Investigation Challenges - Like with many criminal cases, investigating fly-tipping and prosecuting involves specialised individuals and this can cause challenges with the process of ensuring those face repercussions for their actions.
- Reputational Damage - A heavy amount of fly-tipping can have reputational damages on the community and the local authority responsible for managing this.
As Christmas comes with increased risks of fly-tipping, managing this issue correctly can prevent both the financial burden and other potential consequences that be caused by such crime in your community.
WCCTV’s Top Tips for Preventing Fly-tipping at Christmas
Having successfully supported 457 councils with various issues including fly-tipping, we understand the specific challenges presented by this issue around Christmas time.
Using this knowledge we formed our top 6 tips for preventing fly-tipping this Christmas in your area and reduce costs related to this:
Install CCTV Surveillance
CCTV can provide various benefits that help to prevent fly-tipping in your community over the Christmas period.
By utilising a security system that works as a criminal deterrent and security monitoring service such as, our CCTV Towers you can prevent crime, respond proactively and for evidential purposes, record incidents.
Additionally, the Towers can be rented and this provides further benefits for fly-tipping over Christmas as it allows you to decide upon how long you have them in place and covers you for that particular time when the issue is more prevalent.
WCCTV have previously supported Cumberland Council with the monitoring of their Household Waste Recycling Centres, also known as Bring Centres during the Christmas period through the rental of our CCTV Towers.
Due to the flexibility provided, our systems help to manage the risks presented to these locations over this time where the security threat was higher for fly-tipping and the illegal removal of waste.
The removal and clean-up process of fly-tipping can be expensive for councils, with large fly-tipping incidents costing in the thousands to clear up, depending on the amount of waste.
This makes prevention central to tackling such crime and with our CCTV Towers standing up to 6 metres high and being bright yellow, it creates a bold security presence that strips criminals of their concealment.
A retrospective approach may not be the most effective method as finding criminals following these types of incidents can be difficult, hence why all our products use remote monitoring services.
This service involves security experts that monitor any motion detected, establish false alarms, and respond to threats at that moment, calling the Police where necessary to capture criminals in the act.
Increase Waste Collection Services
On average, a UK household will typically create 30% more waste at Christmas than any other time of year. This increases the risk of individuals disposing of waste illegally as their current bin collections may be reduced or not withstand the amount of waste.
Therefore during peak times such as during Christmas, you should consider extending bin collection schedules, adding temporary bins at popular local spots and even offer extra bins if the capabilities and budget allow you to do so.
By doing this, it will encourage households to dispose of waste correctly rather than seeking other methods that could leave you fronting an even bigger bill for the removal of the waste.
Public Awareness Campaign
Many individuals will not be aware of the implications of fly-tipping or the waste collection schedule over Christmas, meaning communication is central to informing households of this and to ensure the correct process is followed.
Creating a targeted communication campaign that highlights the consequences of fly-tipping and the process that households should follow helps to promote this to those within the area.
Social media has grown over recent years in popularity and can be used by local authorities to communicate key messages such as this. Whether this is through video, an infographic, or written post.
Other advertising methods such as community boards and through print could also be utilised in locations where this is more appropriate or to back the social media campaign.
Implement Signage
Implementing signage around fly-tipping hot spots in your area can help with preventing such crime by emphasising the consequences to those individuals and the legal response that could be taken against such matters.
The consequences of this crime can be forgotten about or simply not known, therefore, by showing them the exact response that can be taken towards it may have them second guessing whether to fly-tip.
For many individuals, the idea of a large fine and/or vehicle seizures will place fear in them and are extremely off-putting to commit the crime.
Engage with the Community
Although communication campaigns can be extremely successful to support with waste reduction and fly-tipping, engaging directly with community groups and neighbourhood watches can help to further this message.
You can partner up with these groups to promote your message and find effective ways to engage with the community to ensure they are aware of the laws around fly-tipping and how to remove their waste correctly over the Christmas period.
Through this, you can also communicate how to report fly-tipping and the importance of doing so for themselves and the community.
Plan and Prepare for the Most Prevalent Fly-Tipping Locations
Within any area, there are likely to be popular locations for fly-tipping compared to others, perhaps due to it being concealed, under darkness or being based away from a residential location.
To stay ahead of this over Christmas, it is best to plan for those locations where fly-tipping is most prevalent and consider implementing security measures to manage the risk presented to them.
By doing so, you could help to prevent fly-tipping take place or at least be able to monitor and respond to this appropriately.
Keep Your Community Clean Over Christmas with WCCTV
The most effective security method to ensure you keep your community clean this Christmas is with WCCTV. With our 20-years of security solution experience and continued work to produce innovative responses to the security challenges you face, we understand how to best approach the issue of fly-tipping.
To learn about how we have supported other Local Authorities and councils with fly-tipping and other anti-social behaviour, visit our Case Studies page.
