Sutton’s environmental enforcement officers

I know that tackling fly tipping is a top priority for residents, so I am pleased that a new team of environmental enforcement officers have joined Sutton Council. 

Last month, I met with the team of dedicated enforcement officers who started patrolling the borough’s streets on 1 December. They explained to me that they will be working to identify, investigate and take enforcement action against perpetrators who dump their waste on footpaths or highways. These officers are equipped with body-worn cameras and will begin by focusing on known fly tipping hotspots.

They have the power to issue £400 on-the-spot penalty fines and they are designed to be a visible deterrent to offenders. As well as this, they will be reviewing footage from a network of 12 new ‘smart cameras’, which are monitoring fly tipping hotspots in the borough. 

Part of their role is also to encourage the right behaviours so fly-tipping rates reduce across the borough. We want to stop those who are still fly-tipping, and by working together to tackle the problem, the money currently spent clearing fly-tips can instead in future be spent on better things like caring for our most vulnerable residents.

The enforcement officers will be on hand to provide information on fly tipping to members of the public, with their first few weeks focusing on education and engagement. There is absolutely no excuse for fly tipping and we are determined to tackle the problem head on. Learn more about what Sutton Council is doing to tackle fly tipping. Some of the types of fly tipping that the enforcement officers have been told to look out for include:

• Large items such as fridges, freezers, furniture and mattresses that have been dumped on the street
• Household rubbish left next to litter bins
• Items left next to recycling banks
• Trade waste that has been dumped

So fly tippers in Sutton beware! 

Councillor Manuel Abellan