Official flytip figures show Wandsworth is a cleaner borough

The Government data for 2022/23 shows that Wandsworth has the third lowest number of recorded flytips in inner London. Only Lambeth and Islington recorded fewer incidents.

The Wandsworth figure of 6,094 incidents compares very favourably with other boroughs in this part of London.
 
Across London’s 32 boroughs just over 422,000 flytips were recorded. This means that Wandsworth suffered only 1.4 per cent of the capital’s flytips.
 
Part of this success is being attributed to the introduction of the council’s monthly ‘Mega Skips’ initiative, which gives residents the opportunity to deposit unwanted household items that might otherwise end up dumped on the streets. This popular free scheme is judged to be behind an 11 per cent reduction in flytips across Wandsworth.

Another factor behind the fall is the robust level of enforcement in the borough which has led to on-the-spot fines being issued to people caught dumping rubbish or litter on the highway.
 
The council has also stepped up its inspection efforts to make sure that businesses fulfil their legal obligation to have proper arrangements in place for the collection and disposal of their waste. Those that don’t face an instant fine - and this has led to a big reduction in flytips.

And the town hall has also raised public awareness of the perils of employing the unlicensed operators who drive around looking for waste to collect - often builder’s waste - and having pocketed the cash to dispose of it properly – drive around the corner and dump it. In these cases the householder may face prosecution for failing to ensure their waste was lawfully disposed of.
 
The council also offers a cheap and competitive rate to remove large unwanted items like old mattresses and furniture, which has also played a role in reducing the number of these items that are dumped on the streets.
 
Judi Gasser, Cabinet Member for Environment said: “These official Government figures confirm that flytipping is a serious problem across the country – and that London in particular suffers badly from this environmental crime.
 
“But the data shows quite clearly that here in Wandsworth we have many fewer cases than most other parts of the capital.
 
“While this is welcome news we fully recognise that a single flytip is one too many so we will not be complacent about the challenges we face in keeping our streets and parks clean and free of flytips.
 
“We know for sure that some local neighbourhoods are more badly affected than others and residents in these areas can rest assured we are putting in extra resources to tackle this problem.”
 
Residents who spot a flytip are being urged to report them so they can be swiftly removed.
 
For details of how to book a bulky waste collection and information on refuse and recycling collections please visit www.wandsworth.gov.uk/waste. Flytips can also be reported over the phone by calling (020) 8871 8558.