Fly-tipping figures piling up fast

Cases of fly-tipping have increased in Rochdale, according to an investigation undertaken by AnyJunk.

The investigation by the UK’s largest on-demand rubbish clearance company, found a rise in incidents of illegally dumped rubbish in Rochdale last year – up from 1,934 to 2,352.

Neighbouring Oldham experienced a slight rise up from 1,056 to 1,096.

Managing Director of AnyJunk, Jason Mohr said: “We’re not about naming, shaming and pointing the finger, but by raising awareness about the extent of the problem, we hope to be able to change things.

“Whilst we realise individuals are often not the ones doing the actual fly-tipping, that doesn’t mean to say they are entirely blameless. All too often, businesses and homeowners arrange waste to be taken away, but they fail to check whether the company that comes to collect it is registered to do so – either because they don’t realise they have to or simply because they don’t care.”

Peter Cunningham, Service Director for Environmental Management at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “More people are reporting fly tipping now as there’s a lot of awareness-raising nationally and through our annual Big Clean campaign to convert grot spots into areas people can be proud of, so we see this as a proactive step in cleaning up the borough.

“The AnyJunk figures don’t necessarily mean there’s an increase in fly tipping in the borough, but more for the reason we’ve seen an increase in the number of reports."

AnyJunk used official figures obtained from councils under the Freedom of Information Act to study fly-tipping in 148 council boroughs across the UK.