COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE

Responding to the launch of the Government’s Waste Review, the Countryside Alliance – the leading voice of rural Britain and a member of the Government’s National Fly-tipping Prevention Group – has criticised the minimal attention given to tackling the scourge of fly-tipping, despite the maintenance of fortnightly bin collections. 
Alice Barnard, Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance, said:
 “Of course the focus is on household bins, but this report misses the likely consequences of retaining fortnightly collections in the countryside: a higher incidence of fly-tipping.
 “With well over half of all fly-tips involving household waste; we believe this figure can only increase, putting more pressure on the limited resources of local authorities, who are responsible for clearing up this blight.
 “The Government has said it will consider the current levels of fines and sentencing for fly tipping, which is welcome, however, the number of successful prosecutions is pitiful. We are concerned that unless local authorities have the support to bring more fly-tippers to court, increasing fines will not act as a deterrent to the determined few.
 “While the Review tries to delegate responsibility to cash-strapped councils trying to meet public demand for weekly collections and Government targets on recycling, victims of fly-tipping in the countryside are being largely ignored.”
 The Countryside Alliance launched its national Fly-tipping-Scrap It campaign in March 2007, including a fly-tipping awareness week, Tipping Point – a comprehensive investigative report on fly-tipping, and Time for Action – a document detailing the key areas in which the Countryside Alliance, alongside stakeholders including the Environment Agency, ENCAMS, Local Authorities, police forces and others, set out the key areas for change. The Alliance is a member of the Government’s National Fly- Tipping Prevention Group.