A new report by B2B comparison site, Expert Market, has produced a “heatmap” suggesting a correlation between affluent neighbourhoods and increased fly-tipping – with The City of London topping the list.
The research cross-references data from 324 local authorities, contrasting the number of fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 people with house prices to find out if more expensive areas are actually worse affected by fly-tipping, despite the high price tag on real estate.
The study suggests there is a correlation between affluent neighbourhoods and dumping, perhaps suggesting that the quiet suburban aspects that appeal to its residents, are also ideal conditions for rogue dumpers who want to commit environmental vandalism without being seen, Expert Market says.
Of all the local authorities in England, The City of London has the highest fly-tipping rate of 238 incidents per 1,000 people, which is equivalent to 1 in every 5 people living there illegally dumping waste.
Home to the Stock Exchange and the Bank of England, property prices in The City are close to the £1m mark, but this does not prevent litter louts using this affluent neighbourhood as a form of cheap rubbish disposal.
As well as The City of London; Enfield, Haringey, Hounslow, Hammersmith & Fulham and Croydon all make it into the worst ten zones for fly-tipping. Enfield (227) and Haringey (122) have fly-tipping rates of over 100 incidents per 1,000 people two of the highest densities of all the localities in the study.
Even in Kensington and Chelsea, where an average property would set you back £2.1m (the most expensive location in England), fly-tipping rates are at 57 per 1,000 people, the 12th worst in the study.
Outside Of London
Northampton emerged as the worst offender outside London, and the only region in the East Midlands to make it into top 40 with nearly 81 incidents of fly-tipping per 1,000 people – over 200% more than that generated in neighboring Leicester.
The disparity between the top and the bottom ends of the ranking is huge with Oadby and Wigston in the East Midlands reporting just 0.3 incidents of fly-tipping per 1,000 inhabitants. Put into perspective, this means there are nearly 800 times more cases of illegal rubbish dumping per 1,000 people in The City of London as in Oadby and Wigston.
Lucy Crossfield lead researcher at Expert Market: “Most people living in London will be familiar with the problem of fly tipping, it is a sadly familiar sight on our streets. Despite paying premiums to live in these boroughs, many of us are used to stepping around debris dumped by unscrupulous traders or residents. There are so many ways to dispose of rubbish cheaply or entirely for free and this shows that more has to be done to make people aware of their options – and the consequences they face for not disposing of rubbish correctly.
“Sadly, many of these loads are dumped by unlicensed rubbish removal companies who claim to dispose of things responsibly but then drive to the next borough and dump it under the cover of darkness.
“The responsibility will now lie with the customer to check the credentials of the company they use, which will hopefully drive these rogue traders out of business and make our streets a lot cleaner.”
