Mansfield is being plagued by an "epidemic" of fly-tipping as figures show it cost nearly £100,000 to clear up waste in the town last year. Mansfield's mayor says this amount of money would be enough to create a brand new play area or to install 285 benches.
But the money was instead spent on dealing with the 2,133 fly-tipping incidents reported for the last financial year, ending in March 2023. The total cost of clearing the incidents up was £99,054, up from the £60,535 spent on dealing with around 1,200 fly-tips the year before.
Mansfield District Council does say a new system was being developed in the 2021/22 year, which could have meant an underreporting of incidents. But Labour Mayor Andy Abrahams said: "Residents are sick and tired of fly-tipping blighting their neighbourhoods.
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"The dramatic increase in incidents represents an epidemic that we need to get on top of. Council taxpayers effectively pay for this £100,000 bill to clean up and investigate environmental crimes.
"I want to assure residents we are going to increase our efforts to catch the perpetrators as the collective costs of clearing up all of the rubbish is astronomical, and the fines aren't a sufficient deterrent." Every household and business has a legal duty of care to make sure waste from their property is disposed of correctly.
As well as fines, councils can also prosecute those who fail in this duty of care. The council says free bulky waste collections are available for people in parts of Mansfield such as the Bull Farm and Bellamy Road estates.
People in these neighbourhoods qualify for one free collection a year for up to three standard items. Across Mansfield, households of six or more people may qualify for an additional general waste bin, whilst extra recycling bins can be provided to households of any size on request.
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