Organised crime groups flytipping is 'growing problem' in North Lanarkshire
Council bosses say they are cracking down on people dumping illegal waste by using covert cameras in fly-tipping hotspots
Bosses at North Lanarkshire Council have said there is a "growing problem" with serious, organised crime groups illegally dumping waste in the region.
The council is now cracking down on fly-tippers who are said to frequently target rural areas, including back roads and derelict properties.
This is done by the use of covert cameras deployed in areas deemed to be hotspots.
In the year 2020/2021, only 39 Fixed Penalty Notices were issued by North Lanarkshire Council to people caught dumping rubbish illegally.
Since the introduction of CCTV - the latest figures show that number rose to 109 fines in 2023/2024 - an increase of 179%.
Council chiefs say the type of fly-tipping has changed, with less individuals from private households contributing to annual figures of illegal dumping.
The growing problem lies with trade waste and serious, organised crime groups.
Images of flytipping within the region show abandoned trailers costing tens of thousands of pounds to remove, piles of used tyres and asbestos.
Pollution control and public health manager, Mark Findlay, said: "We've got indiscriminate fly tapping from residents where perhaps they just aren't aware of the facilities that should use -those types of complaints are probably on the decline now.
"We then have trade waste that's coming from people that are advertising in social media, Facebook, Gumtree, and those individuals are probably offering to take your waste away for not a lot of money - that is a growing problem.
"Then thirdly, we've got kind of serious organised criminals operating where they are taking vast quantities of waste away, up back roads and other sites and we're seeing that as a growing problem.
"Those volumes of waste are quite significant.
"Some of the vehicles involved in this fly-tipping are significantly large vehicles. The six and a half tonne tipper trucks, that waste involves slabs, soil, trees, monoblock brick.
"We're also seeing quantities of tyres, kitchen and bathroom waste - my main piece of advice to members of the public is that if the price is too good to be true, it's generally too good to be true."
Mark denied that removing the free uplift of wastes for household was having an impact on the rates of flytipping, explaining that intelligence from the team points to the growing number of commercial dumps.
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