Bolton’s army of volunteer litter pickers is being called up in the fight against flytipping in the borough.
The council is starting a six month trial which will see evidence gathered by the volunteers used to tackle the problem, with the council issuing warning letters to individuals where personal details are found in dumped waste.
The volunteers play a vital role in keeping the borough clean, spending hundreds of hours collecting rubbish that has been thoughtlessly thrown away.
The trial will see council enforcement officers, responding to evidence found by volunteers, which will not only help in prosecuting people fly tipping but also those using non licenced waste removal businesses.
Now a new guide from the council is being sent to volunteer litter picking groups to advise them how they can help. It says:
- Take a clear close up photo of any information showing the full name and address on the evidence.
- Take a second photo of the same evidence but from further away showing the scope of the waste relating to the named person. Eg the full bag or fly tip.
- Send the photographs to loveboltonhatelitter@bolton.gov.uk stating where and what date the evidence was found. Please be specific regarding the location where the evidence was found.
- Do not send the photos to the Love Bolton Hate Litter Facebook site or post them on other social media. If the evidence is posted on social media, the council will not be able to send a warning letter.
Councillor Hilary Fairclough, Executive Cabinet Member for Environmental Regulatory Services said: “Our volunteers do a truly wonderful job in tackling this scourge on our local environment and we are grateful for their efforts.
“They are out in all weathers collecting litter from verges and greenspace and identifying flytipping.
“With this trial programme and their continued support we hope to be able to track the perpetrators of these blights on our land.
“Anyone who has rubbish needs to dispose of it in the correct way. Professional disposal experts will have the correct certificates. It’s each resident’s duty to make sure, that the people they hire to dispose of their rubbish do so in the correct way and not simply chuck it out on our backstreets or any bit of spare land.
“We need to make sure that the legal process is followed correctly so that perpetrators, can’t use excuses in an attempt to get off the hook in court.
“I’d like to thank again all those who are working with us to tackle this issue. The contribution volunteers make to the cleanliness of Bolton’s streets and open spaces, really is exceptional.
Eileen McKay Crowe from North Bolton Litter pickers added: “This is amazing as it lets volunteers know the council value our efforts in tackling the fly tipping in our town #strongertogether”