The UK government has awarded 26 local authorities a share of £1 million to support them tackle fly-tipping.
The grants will support councils to install CCTV cameras in hotspot areas, invest in AI-assisted camera technology, and run campaigns to raise public awareness to only use licensed waste companies.
As part of this round of funding, Recycling Minister Robbie Moore announced the 26 councils across England will receive grants of up to £50,000.
The London Borough of Hounslow plans to use the funding to install CCTV cameras with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) readers.
City of Wolverhampton Council plans to introduce more CCTV, signage and AI-enabled SMART cameras.
Cheshire East Council is set to provide handheld devices to street enforcement officers for remote working.
Recycling Minister, Robbie Moore commented: “Fly-tipping is a brazen attack on communities, nature and our environment. It can create danger for wildlife as well as people and I am determined the harm done by cynical criminals doesn’t go unpunished.
“We have increased the maximum penalty councils can issue for these offences, made sure money from those fines goes back into more enforcement and clean up, and now we are giving councils a further £1 million boost.
“Our previous funding has achieved significant reductions in fly-tipping across many parts of England – which is why we will build on our successes and ensure councils have more resources to carry on the fight.”
The latest grant funding follows the £1.2 million provided to 32 other local authorities since 2022 as part of the fly-tipping intervention grant scheme.
In the previous round of funding, Hyndburn Borough Council installed fencing and gates to prevent access to fly-tipping hotspots.
Our previous funding has achieved significant reductions in fly-tipping across many parts of England.
The UK government said this decreased fly-tipping by 100% in these areas in three months and the council saved approximately £4,150 in waste removal and clean-up costs.
Councillor Guy Lambert, Cabinet Member for Highways, Recycling and Health Integration at Hounslow Council said: “We are continuing to trial innovative new strategies to force down the number of fly-tipping offences in the borough.
“This latest funding is welcomed and will support our dedicated enforcement team to better identify offenders through enhanced CCTV images.
“Fly-tipping is a serious problem, and we want to send a clear message that we will not tolerate it, and anyone caught will be punished.”
