Ilford residents will be fined for not putting out their rubbish in red bin liners

No, we are not leading you down the garden path, occupants of flats on Woodlands Road will face up to a £400 penalty if they use the traditional black plastic sacks.

Redbridge Council introduced this new rule on Monday (September 24) as part of a three-month test to whittle out the perpetrators of fly-tipping.

The pilot was thought up after it was discovered that one of the most reported types of fly-tipping were “sightings of black bags grouped together.”

The local authority wants to investigate if these reports are actually just residents putting out their trash for collection or if something more sinister is at play.

Each property in the trial, which are all flats above shops, has received a supply of five red bags per week.

Occupiers have been told to place their red bags out Monday to Friday between 7pm and 7am to ensure that waste is not left out all day.

If residents put out their rubbish at any other times they will be fined and if they use another colour plastic bag they will be fined.

A letter has been sent to households in the trial and officers visited each property before the scheme started to ensure all residents were aware of the new arrangements.

Cllr John Howard, cabinet member for civic pride, said fly-tipping has decreased across the borough as a whole and this initiative will help identify the source of the rubbish.

“Grime crime has no place in our borough and we have made it very clear that we will do everything in our power to stamp it out,” he said.

“This scheme aims to stop people spoiling their neighbourhoods by dumping their rubbish in the street which attracts further fly-tipping, littering and illegally dumped commercial waste from adjacent shops.

“All residents in the scheme have been fully informed of the new arrangements and should now dispose of their rubbish responsibly or they can expect to face on the spot fines or prosecution.”

The pilot will be reviewed after three months and a decision on whether to roll out the scheme more widely will be taken following resident feedback and evidence collected.