READING Borough Council has announced a crackdown on littering and fly-tipping through a partnership with an external organisation.
A proposed new Environmental Enforcement Partnership would see a dedicated team of five officers on Reading’s streets seven days a week, including on public holidays, enforcing a number of environmental offences such as littering and fly-tipping.
While the Council already carries out this work, limited resources mean it is not able to offer the same level of ‘on street’ enforcement that an external partner could.
The proposed partnership would additionally allow the Council’s existing Recycling and Enforcement Team to focus more on in-depth investigations around dumped rubbish, target pro-active prevention projects and engage with residents to help drive higher recycling rates and better waste practices around the borough.
If agreed, the private enforcement company could start work as early as May of this year for a 12-month trial period.
The partnership would come at no cost to the council, with the enforcement company’s contract paid via a proportion of fixed penalty notices collected.
FPNs will be issued by the partner in compliance with the Council’s own enforcement policy, and the Council will be able to review individual cases where it deems necessary.
The council has additionally approved increasing the maximum fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for littering or graffiti to £500 from £150, fly-tipping to £1,000 from £400, and the incorrect disposal of household waste to £600 from £400.
These fines will meet national statutory guidelines and come in to effect from 1 April as part of the improved environmental enforcement package.
Whilst early payment options are significantly less, the council hopes that early payment will be encouraging those that have erred to “own up” and “reflect” on their actions.
Proposals will be discussed at the Council’s Housing, Neighbourhoods and Leisure Committee on Tuesday, March 11.
Karen Rowland, Lead Councillor for Environmental Services and Community Safety, said: “Littering and fly-tipping is a blight on our neighbourhoods. It adversely affects our communities which impacts on everyone’s quality of life.
“It also costs the local taxpayer significant funds to clean up after those that cannot seem to properly take care of their rubbish and litter.
“The Council’s annual residents’ survey suggested that litter was one of the top issues on residents’ minds that they wanted to see improvements in.
“We are committed to responding to residents’ requests and are just as eager to make Reading a cleaner, greener, more attractive place to live, work and visit”
She explained: “This new partnership will allow us to step up our efforts and enable our own in-house team to concentrate on in-depth fly-tipping investigations and their educational work around recycling which has proven invaluable in driving Reading’s recycling rate to over 50%, and we are keen to improve on that statistic.
“The vast majority of residents dispose of their waste in the correct way, so it is only those who litter or fly-tip who would have any reason to be concerned by this step up in enforcement.
“We’re hopeful that this new partnership will create a step-change in the cleanliness of our streets and neighbourhoods and let those that fail to be responsible about their rubbish know that this behaviour is not acceptable to Reading’s residents.”
