The Green Party’s candidate in this year’s West Yorkshire Mayoral Election has called for councils across West Yorkshire to look at alternative measures to tackle the fly tipping epidemic across the county.
Councillor Andrew Cooper, who is also a councillor from Huddersfield has called for the local authorities to look at what other areas are doing to try and reduce the issue.
January is regarded as the worst month of the year for fly tipping with the first Friday of the year dubbed as “Fly-tipping Friday” because it is regarded to be Britain’s worst day for illegal dumping of unwanted goods and discarded rubbish.
Councillor Cooper said, “Councils across West Yorkshire consistently feature at the top of the fly tipping rankings and we really need to try new ideas.”
“Fly tipping is a scourge on our local communities and we have to make life as uncomfortable as possible for the people who dump rubbish in our local environment. We’ve got to be clear that this is not a victimless crime.
“We are seeing increasing evidence the fly tipping is a cross council issue with rogue traders crossing the council boundaries to dump waste. This is a problem we need to work on together.
One example, is the ‘Shop a tipper’ campaign launched by Wolverhampton Council which encourages residents who spot fly tippers to report the offender to the council for a £100 reward following the payment of a Fixed Penalty Notice or a successful prosecution.
Councillor Cooper added, “In other parts of the country they are trying new ideas and I would like to see more of them trialled here in Yorkshire.
“If this incentive makes more people look out for the number plates of those chucking rubbish out of cars vans and trucks then it is worth every penny.”
“The new position of West Yorkshire mayor is an opportunity to encourage much more collaboration between our local authorities.”