Fly-tipping complaints from Kingston residents increase

Kingston residents have complained about the amount of rubbish being dumped illegally in the area.

There has been a notable increase in fly-tipping with the total number of incidents reaching over 4,000 in the past year.

The daily exposure to stained mattresses, soiled nappies, and other waste constantly drags on the mental health and general well-being of the people living nearby.

The increase in fly-tipping has frustrated residents. Resident Kerry Giles said: “My garden is used for fly-tipping daily and I walk past fly-tipping on my way to work in New Malden.”

Certain streets and locations in the borough received significant dumps of household waste and furniture with housing estates usually at the centre of most of the litter.

Another resident, Jen Crouch said: “There’s been a sofa and mattress in my car park for two months. I’ve lived there for 15 years, and it’s been ongoing.”

She also claimed that she had complained to her housing estate, but nothing had been done and that her housing company had denied responsibility for the fly-tipping.

In late 2021, cameras were installed around Kingston to discourage both business and domestic fly-tipping offences.

Kingston Councillor and Portfolio Holder for Waste and Recycling, John Sweeney has been campaigning to make Kingston a zero-tolerance place for fly-tipping.

He said: “Housing estates and flats above shops especially had problems. Council departments in housing, highways, and parks were not working together, and issues were being handled poorly, frustrating residents and councillors.”

“With the support of the LibDem Group, I initiated a fly-tipping task force. The task force brought together councillors, officers and the vast amount of data gathered by the Council to identify hot spots.

He said that a lot of quick fixes had been put in place to resolve the fly-tipping issue.

These include an increase in the charge on Fixed Penalty Notices, comprehensive data maps of fly tipping hotspots used to monitor problem areas and artificial intelligence enabled cameras being deployed on numerous housing estates.

Fly-tipping can be reported via the Kingston Council website with an aim for waste to be cleared within 24 hours. Bulky items such as sofas can be taken to the Household Reuse and Recycling Centre.