BCP Council is determined to crack down on the dumping of rubbish in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

An external company has been hired to not only reduce incidents of fly tipping but to enhance prevention measures through engagement with local communities.

Following BCP Council’s Cabinet meeting in May, Waste Investigations Support and Enforcement (WISE) was appointed to undertake a pilot to investigate all fly tipping and fly posting across the conurbation to find the perpetrators and if required, issue them with a fixed penalty notice.

As part of the pilot, which commenced at the end of August, WISE are also visiting local businesses to ensure they’re disposing and managing their waste correctly, in order to comply with the law.

Council officers are working in conjunction with WISE, visiting local businesses to offer advice and guidance on how they can legally dispose of their business waste. Any business found to be contravening the law will be given seven days’ notice to comply and provide all the documentation, otherwise fixed penalty notices may be issued and enforcement action taken.

Cllr Mark Anderson, portfolio holder for Environment, Cleansing and Waste said: “Fly tipping is a growing problem for councils across the country which is why we’ve decided to take tougher action. Not only is it illegal, but it can also cause significant environmental issues and adversely impacts the local landscape. In addition, fly tipping can create mental health issues for people living next to areas where it is more prolific, so it’s vitally important that we tackle this issue head on.

“We want the BCP city region to be world class – one of the best coastal places in the world in which to live, work, invest and play, and as part of our Cleaner, Greener, Safer campaign this pilot will help us work towards this goal.”

Designed to be cost neutral to the council, this pilot has allowed the council to align how it deals with fly tipping across the conurbation.

Cllr May Haines, portfolio holder for Community Safety, BCP Council, said: “Fly tipping isn’t just dumping rubbish in the countryside or an empty car park; it also includes items dumped near neighbourhood recycling bins or on pavements and in our parks. It can create a massive problem for the communities where items are regularly fly tipped or fly posted, which is why I am looking forward to working with WISE to drive down fly tipping and make our town centres and targeted hotspots cleaner without the clutter of fly posters across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.”

The fixed penalty notice for fly tipping is set at £200 if paid within 14 days, or £400 within 28 days.

John Dunne, managing director, WISE said: “We’re very much looking forward to working alongside BCP Council to help drive down incidents of fly tipping across their area.  We will also be inspecting businesses to ensure they are storing and transferring controlled waste in accordance with the law. We have a proven track record of investigating and issuing fixed penalty notices to perpetrators who dump waste or transfer waste to unauthorised waste carriers. We are looking forward to working alongside the council to help with their prevention messaging.

“We want to reduce environmental crime and this pilot together with the work we do in other parts of the country will help us achieve this.”

Local businesses who are unsure what they need to do to comply with the law can visit www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/managingbusinesswaste

Any instances of flytipping can be reported at: www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/reportflytipping