Fly tipping leads to closure of recycling site adjacent to conservation area

During the pandemic the amount of fly tipped waste cleared by the Council has more than doubled and the environmental and financial impact of this fly tipping has been felt particularly at Council recycling sites, like Holly Lane. The ten worst affected fly tipping spots, all of which are recycling sites, have collectively attracted 2,877 transit vans worth of dumped waste since April 2020.

Originally established for residents who may not have access to recycling at home, the borough’s 24 recycling sites are now attracting enormous volumes of commercial and trade waste, as well as non-recyclable household rubbish. The Council estimates around 70% of the dumped waste at these locations is made up of items that cannot be recycled there.

To deter fly tippers, the Council has used mobile CCTV across the borough and has issued 37 fly tipping penalty notices since March 2020. Signage installed at Holly Lane on 31 March 2021 informed people that ongoing misuse could lead to the recycling site being closed without further notice.

Despite these additional measures, continued fly tipping at Holly Lane, which is adjacent to a site of special scientific interest, risks becoming a danger to public health and harmful to the local wildlife.

The dumped rubbish is also contaminating the recyclable waste that people are disposing of responsibly, which is reducing the environmental benefits and increasing the financial costs of waste disposal.

Cllr Natalie Bramhall, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services said: “When fly tipping at one of our recycling sites continues to blight a local beauty spot, put residents’ health at risk and prevent us from recycling all the waste that we can, it is doing more harm than good.

“I would like to remind everyone that leaving items at recycling sites that are not recyclable is fly tipping, which is an offence.

“I am grateful to the majority of residents who are recycling their household waste responsibly and to the residents and community groups that are going the extra mile to support our efforts in keeping their areas clean and tidy by arranging local clean ups.

“I want it to be easy for Reigate and Banstead residents to recycle as much of their household waste as possible, but I also want them to be confident that their recycling gets recycled properly.

“With most residents now able to recycle most of the materials accepted at Holly Lane direct from their doorstep, I’d encourage everyone to use their home collection service as much as they can and consider the financial and environmental costs of disposing of their other unwanted items.”

Aside from Holly Lane, the Council presently has 23 recycling sites that are free to use and urges anyone using these sites to do so responsibly. Alternatively, for a small charge to cover the extra cost of collection and disposal, the Council also operates a bulky waste collection service.

All householders, businesses and charities must make sure their rubbish is disposed of properly, or risk prosecution or a £400 fixed penalty notice. People can check whether a waste collector is properly licensed by visiting www.gov.uk/find-registered-waste-carrier or calling 03708 506 506.

To report a fly tip to the Council, visit www.reigate-banstead.gov.uk/report.