It’s a #CrimeNotToCare when it comes to getting rid of your rubbish – that is the message from the Isle of Wight Council and Keep Britain Tidy and the 2 organisations link up to tackle an issue that affects communities across the country.
Even though many Islanders say the Council’s arrangement with Amey at Lynnbottom Tip is leading to an apparent visual increase in fly tipping, the Isle of Wight Council say there has been a reduction in the number of fly tipping incidents. Between October 2016 and April 2017 a total of 410 incidents were recorded, verses 364 during the same period 6 month in 2017-2018.
#CrimeNotToCare aims to help householders learn about the right thing to do with their rubbish and to reduce the amount of household waste that is fly tipped by rogue traders who offer to take people’s waste away for money and then dump it.
The campaign aims to get the message across that if an individual’s waste is fly tipped, even if they gave it to a third party to dispose of, they can be prosecuted.
Councillor Michael Murwill, Cabinet member for waste management has said:
“Fly tipping is an unsightly and damaging crime that leads to the degradation of our natural environment here on the Island and we want to do all we can to continue the decline in fly tipping.
“This new campaign is aimed at those who do not realise that by using a ‘man in the van’ and not checking they have a valid waste carrier’s license, that more than likely, their rubbish will end up being fly tipped. The key message is that your rubbish is your responsibility to dispose of legally.”
Keep Britain Tidy chief executive, Allison Ogden-Newton, said:
“#CrimeNotToCare is an important campaign for our country and we are delighted that the Isle of Wight Council is partnering with us on it. There are almost a million fly tipping incidents in England every year and cleaning it all up costs us £50million a year. It blights communities and our countryside and is a menace. We need the public to understand that their rubbish is their responsibility and they must do the right thing with it.
“Giving it to a ‘man with a van’ who offers to get rid of it cheaply could prove costly for people and result in them getting a criminal record. They have a duty of care and this campaign will help explain to them exactly what that is and how to protect themselves.”
A social media campaign with key messages will be running in June on the Council’s Twitter and Facebook pages and posters and leaflets will be delivered to local communities via town and parish councils.
You can also pick up a leaflet with further information from your local library. Further information can be found at www.iwight.com/waste.
