Bristol has emerged as one of Britain’s worst areas for fly-tipping, as the council considers reducing its bin collection services to just once every four weeks.
The city has 21.3 incidents per 1,000 residents placing it in the top 20 per cent nationally, according to new research.
SIGN OUR PETITION: CALLING FOR HARSHER PUNISHMENT FOR THOSE THAT TRASH OUR COUNTRY
The concerning figures, revealed in a study by Hippo Waste analysing data from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, show the city significantly exceeding the national average of 19 incidents per 1,000 people.
The study found 10,181 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Bristol between April 2022 and March 2023.
Sign our petition to stop the litter blight across our United Kingdom
Bristol City Council said move they said could save them more than £2million a yearGoogle Street View
This figure dwarfs those of neighbouring areas, with 8,080 more incidents than Bath and North East Somerset’s 2,101 cases.
The disparity is even more stark when compared to South Gloucestershire, which reported just 1,790 incidents during the same period.
Household waste dominates Bristol’s fly-tipping problem, with 5,942 incidents of general household waste and 1,108 cases involving black bags.
The city also recorded 709 incidents of dumped white goods and 170 cases of green waste, including food and garden materials.
STOP TRASHING BRITAIN:
The problem has worsened significantly over the past decade
Getty
Do you have a story about litter you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
The problem has worsened significantly over the past decade, with total fly-tipping incidents rising by 60.13 per cent from 6,358 in 2012/13 to 10,181 in 2022/23.
Amid these concerns, Bristol City Council is proposing a shift to monthly black bin collections, aimed at improving recycling rates and saving money.
The local authority said that switching from fortnightly to monthly collections could save the local authority more than £2million a year.
Hippo Waste’s managing director Gareth Lloyd Jones warned of potential consequences: “As households adopt to black bin collections being cut in half, there could be a noticeable increase in incidents of fly-tipping, particularly of black bags in the area.”
Bristol City Council is proposing a shift to monthly black bin collections, aimed at improving recycling rates and saving money
Getty
The council estimates that 40 per cent of black bin waste could be recycled under the new scheme.
Responding to the concerns, Councillor Martin Fodor, Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Committee, emphasised the council’s serious stance on fly-tipping.
“Not only does it make our streets and public spaces look unsafe and untidy, but it can also have serious, detrimental effects on our local environment,” he said.
He highlighted that Bristol residents have access to three free household reuse and recycling centres and a bulky waste collection service.
Sign our petition to stop the litter blight across our United Kingdom