Fly-tipped rubbish equivalent to weight of 72 elephants cleaned up by district council in Nottinghamshire last year

Newark and Sherwood District Council has revealed the figure after numerous reports of fly-tipping on Deerdale Lane and Sherwood Pines.

Councillor Roger Jackson, Chairman of the council’s Leisure & Environment Committee said fly-tipping had always been ‘an issue’ across the UK but Newark and Sherwood, with large open areas of countryside added an ‘additional complication.’

“It’s a problem we are facing straight on - fly-tipping is not excusable under any circumstances,” he said.

"Last year, 1,384 fly-tips were removed, a combined weight of 360 tonnes, the same weight as 72 elephants and costs us around £55,000 per year to clean up. Fly-tips come from residential properties and industrial or commercial premises.

"We are aware of a terrible fly-tip hot spot at Sherwood Pines on Deerdale Lane. When the ground conditions allow, officers will remove it immediately, unfortunately the weather has left the area flooded.

"It is of concern, we are working with Nottinghamshire County Council, Mansfield District Council and the Forestry Commission for a long term solution to protect the area from the scourge of fly-tipping.”

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Across the district, the council said rogue waste operators working for cash, not with the necessary licenses were often 'suspected’. At the beginning of 2020, the council launched a campaign to crackdown on fly-tipping.

"A number of fixed penalty notices were issued and this has increased year on year,” Cllr Jackson said.

CCTV cameras were installed in hot spots and a ‘day of action’ took place.

"Newark and Sherwood continue to offer the lowest bulky waste collection fee in Nottinghamshire. The campaign halted, partly due to pandemic restrictions but is picking up again as fly-tipping continues,” he added.

Fridges and freezers fly tipped in popular forest spot near Mansfield have now been torched

Future actions includes ‘stop and check’ days with Nottinghamshire police targeting vehicles carrying waste without licences, free bulky waste disposal days and prosecutions.

“We encourage residents to report fly-tipping to us online. Officers will remove and examine it to identify the source.“

To report fly-tipping contact newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk or call 01636 650000. The council offers a bulky waste collection and projects across the district collect reuse items. See newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/bulky.

The Newark reuse and recycling centre collects general waste seven days a week.