“We’re not going to put up with this country being buried under an avalanche of fly-tipping in the way that we’ve seen over recent years,” the Environment Secretary has said.
The Environment Secretary Steve Reed was questioned about fly-tipping by listeners during an LBC phone-in this morning.
When asked how he will reduce fly-tipping, Reed said the Environment Agency will use drones to track ‘waste cowboys’ before seizing and crushing their vehicles.
“That is a punishment for those people who are carrying these things out. This is a deterrent to other people who might be thinking of doing the same things,” Reed said.
“We’re not going to put up with this country being buried under an avalanche of fly-tipping in the way that we’ve seen over recent years – and I think this is one change that’ll make a big difference.”
I think councils should be looking at their own mechanisms for what they’re doing.
Presenter Nick Ferrari questioned the Environment Secretary over concerns that local authorities raising disposal charges may be inadvertently increasing fly-tipping.
“I think councils should be looking at their own mechanisms for what they’re doing,” Reed responded.
“I speak to many residents from my constituency and elsewhere, people are furious about fly-tipping because it says something about the place’s quality of life and pride in the place where you live.
“None of us should have to walk past dump mattresses and fridges or whatever else it is as we’re walking the kids to school or making our way to the bus stop.”
Last week, the Environment Agency published new national heatmaps that revealed the locations of 16,773 reported incidents of suspected waste crime across England in 2023 and 2024.
