Islanders urged to name and shame fly-tippers as reports soar

Friday 28 December 2018

Islanders are being urged to name, shame and record the details of illegal rubbish dumpers in a bid to identify them, after reports of fly-tipping soared by as much as 50%.

So far this year, there have been 159 fly-tipping reports to the Environmental Protection Department, compared to 105 last year.

The majority of fly-tipped items were household goods such as furniture and mattresses. April was the worst month for fly-tipping with 27 reports made.

The Environmental Protection team will publish the result of the investigations that followed the reports in 2019, along with fly-tipping figures for the Parish of St. Helier and the Department of Growth, Housing and Environment's recycling operations.

Pictured: Furniture and mattresses are among the items most frequently dumbed where they shouldn't.

Islanders are being encouraged to continue to report fly tipping incidents through Love Jersey, an app for reporting problems, including pot-holes, dog mess, full bins, graffiti, or fly-tipping. 

Richard Runacres, Waste and Water Management and Regulation Officer, said that information such as the registration number, colour and make of the vehicle being used to dump waste can help investigators.

“Identifying fly tippers and obtaining sufficient evidence is difficult and time consuming, that’s why we encourage those who witness fly tippers in action to record details of what they see and let us know," he explained. 

Pictured: Islanders can report fly tippers through the Love Jersey app and website.

In addition to the report on fly tipping, a new strategy, designed with the help of the parishes, waste recycling and waste operations, the National Trust for Jersey and Jersey Water, will come in force in the New Year. Part of the strategy is to help islanders understand what fly-tipping is, and how they should dispose of their discarded items. 

Mr Runacres said that while Jersey doesn’t have the same scale of fly tipping incidents as the UK, his department is keen to keep Jersey’s streets and countryside free from dumped rubbish. "To meet this aim, we need to educate islanders about what fly tipping is, how to prevent it and what to do with their waste, particularly bulky items such as furniture," he explained.

“Although Jersey has some well-used recycling facilities, we need to encourage more people to use them. We will continue that encouragement through 2019, but where we can identify those who choose not to take responsibility for their waste they should expect a more robust approach.”