Work to reduce fly tipping in West Rhyl is a success

Fly-tipping in West Rhyl has been drastically reduced in the past 12 months.

Previously thousands of pounds a week was being spent on collecting fly-tipping but following an action plan launched by Denbighshire County Council in July 2018, it has reduced by just under half.

The number of actions, which includes letters and warnings to residents, taken by the Council has increased from 66 a quarter to 145 while the number of complaints has decreased from 139 a quarter to 44.

The weight of rubbish fly-tipped has reduced from just under 16 tonnes to just over 9 per quarter.

Several hundred properties have also been transferred from sack bin collections to traditional wheelie bins reducing the risk of seagulls dispersing refuse and encouraging residents to recycle.

Cllr Brian Jones, Lead Member for Waste, Transport and the Environment, said: “I’d like to thank the residents of West Rhyl for getting behind this work and ensuring their neighbourhoods and communities are kept clean – we could not have done this without their help.

“Fly-tipping is an offense and has a huge impact and through working with the community and enforcement we have managed to reduce the problem“.

“This means the amount of rubbish accumulating has been reduced and also the cost to the authority and the people of Denbighshire has been brought down.”

“We will continue to ensure that anyone fly-tipping is prosecuted. A conviction of fly-tipping is serious and can prevent a person applying for certain jobs and can exclude them from housing lists.”

CCTV cameras have also been installed at hot spots across the area to deter those who fly tip and to catch, fine and prosecute them as well as providing additional bins and engaging with landlords.

In June, Keep Wales Tidy ranked Denbighshire as the second-best in Wales for the percentage of streets predominantly free of litter and refuse.

Cllr Jones added:

“We have been getting really positive feedback from residents who can see the difference this action has had. This is an innovative, targeted approach and we will continue to work closely with the community and build on the relationships which have proved so successful.”

Further work will take place in the area to target specific issues as well as to cut down on the cross-contamination of waste.

Residents who wish to report fly tipping can contact the Council on 01824 706000.