In the past year there have been more than 1,700 cases of flytipping in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area.

Consequently, BCP Council has launched the Your Waste, Your Duty campaign to tackle flytipping in the community and raise awareness of the risks and penalties.

Following the reported cases, which occurred between September 2021 and July this year, BCP Council and its partners at Waste Investigation Support and Enforcement (WISE), issued around 320 fines. They also carried out around 826 business inspections, serving 305 fixed penalty notices, to make sure correct waste agreements were implemented.

The Your Waste, Your Duty campaign will highlight everyone’s responsibility to look after their waste. It will also raise awareness of what classes as flytipping, encourage residents to make use of BCP recycling centres and promote the council’s New To You initiative that gives unwanted items a new lease of life. To achieve this, BCP Council and WISE officers will be on the ground throughout the year engaging with residents to offer advice, support and, where appropriate, take enforcement action.

Cllr Mark Anderson, portfolio holder for Environment and Place, BCP Council, said: “We recognise that some people only associate flytipping with dumped rubbish in woodlands and other rural areas, but it applies to people that leave overflowing waste on the side of the roads too. We want to run this campaign to ensure people understand what fly-tipping is and what it means for our local environment and urban places.

“Importantly, everyone should be aware that rubbish left outside your property but not on your property is considered flytipping and you are at risk of receiving a fixed-penalty notice.”

Cllr Bobbie Dove, portfolio holder for Safety and Regulatory Services, BCP Council, said: “We have a zero-tolerance flytipping policy. No one wants to live in an area that is littered with rubbish on the streets, which is why enforcement is key.

“Where possible try to reduce, reuse, recycle or compost waste. Business owners also have legal responsibilities to manage their commercial waste appropriately and be able to prove they have done so. If flytip is found and traced back, you will be held responsible.

“When you need to dispose of items which might not fit or not be acceptable to include in your normal rubbish, recycling or garden waste collections bins, please visit any of the three BCP Council Recycling Centres in Bournemouth, Christchurch, or Poole.’’