Junkyard Britain? Data shows fly-tipping waste mountains are getting bigger

Fly tipping mountains are getting bigger, official figures show, as the cost of clearing them up has risen by nearly a quarter.

The number of waste piles discovered which are bigger than the capacity of a lorry, classed as "multi load incidents", rose by 43 per cent over the past year, data published by the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs showed.

It comes as local councils are starting to withdraw recycling services as some types of plastic are becoming too expensive to process, potentially leading to more excess household waste being illegally dumped. 

Defra also said the involvement of serious and organised criminal gangs in the waste sector appeared to be increasing. Such gangs are often involved in large-scale dumping of household waste. 

Some 14,430 multi-load sized piles of rubbish were found dumped during 2017/18, up from 10,120 in 2016/17, the data showed.

For these large fly-tipping incidents, the cost of clearance to local authorities in England in 2017/18 was £12.2 million, up from £9.9 million in 2016/17.   

In his Budget Chancellor Philip Hammond promised £10m to help councils pay for the clearance of waste mountains, including large fly tipping sites and recycling waste mountains. 

Despite the rise a rise in large waste mountains being discovered, the total number of fly tipping incidents fell by 1 per cent over the year, Defra said.

Yesterday Environment Secretary Michael Gove published the conclusion of a waste crime review, which suggested that compulsory electronic tracking of waste could help clamp-down on illegal movements of waste both in the UK and abroad.

The report also proposes introducing fines for producers whose waste is found to be deposited illegally.

Last month this newspaper revealed the UK's largest recycling mountain on a disused airfield in North Killingholme, near Grimsby, which will cost North Lincolnshire Council an estimated £6.3 million to clear.  The waste is so vast it can be seen on overhead satellite images. Residents claim the eyesore is affecting house sales in the area and causing infestations of rats and flies. It was abandoned by a private recycling company about six years ago, which has since gone bust.

A Defra spokesperson said: “Councils are using powers to hand out on-the-spot fines to fly-tippers to good effect, and we have made it easier for vehicles suspected of being used for fly-tipping to be stopped, searched and seized. “New fixed penalty notices for householders who pass their waste to a fly-tipper also come into force shortly, as we continue our efforts to crack down on those who blight our landscapes.”