Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to prevent an increase in fly-tipping in rural areas during the covid-19 outbreak.
Fly-tipping is illegal, unacceptable wherever it occurs, and the Government is committed to tackling this crime.
We are aware of reports of an increase in fly-tipping, although this is not consistent across the country. Local authorities are maintaining the vast majority of household waste collections, with 99% of councils responding to a weekly survey by ADEPT reporting residual and recycling collections as operational. We have published guidance to help local authorities prioritise waste services. This recommends that the clearance of fly-tipped material should be given a high priority.
The Government is working with local authorities to explore ways in which household waste recycling centres that have been closed might be re-opened, whilst observing social distancing and other requirements. We will be publishing guidance for local authorities on the re-opening of household waste recycling centres shortly.
Through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, chaired by Defra, we have disseminated messaging promoting the secure storage of waste, use of registered waste carriers and reiterating that waste must not be fly-tipped.