Redbridge Council has launched a new campaign to help change behaviour to tackle fly-tipping in the borough.

The Illegal Dumping campaign kicked off with a series of videos highlighting the harmful impact fly-tipping has on communities, including attracting vermin, making neighbourhoods messy and posing a danger to residents.

Alongside the videos, campaign posters have also been featured on advertising vans driven around fly-tipping hotspots, as well as adverts on buses travelling along routes near problem areas, with the message that culprits risk a £400 fine for each offense.

The council is also planning a series of community engagement days to educate people on how to dispose of rubbish correctly and legally.

The campaign also aims to inform the community about the penalties and consequences of illegal dumping, and how to report sightings of fly-tipping.

Subject to Covid-19 restrictions, the engagement days will target areas that have seen a surge in fly-tipping over the past few months and will involve council officers from enforcement and neighbourhood teams speaking with residents and businesses and distributing leaflets.

The leaflets have also been translated into several different languages to reach a wider audience.

Cllr John Howard, cabinet member for civic pride, said: “Every time we clear illegally dumped rubbish off our streets it costs us resources and money, which could have been avoided and better spent elsewhere on other services for residents.

"Redbridge is our home and we all have a duty to keep it clean by disposing of our rubbish responsibly.

"Our new Illegal Dumping campaign aims to educate and inform to help people make the right choices when it comes to disposing of their rubbish. By working together, we can make a real difference because we all deserve to live in a clean, and safe environment.”

The campaign has already highlighted several fly-tips in the borough with banner stands placed next to them to raise awareness of the negative impact dumped rubbish has on neighbourhoods.

For more information about disposing of waste and recycling in the borough please visit: www.redbridge.gov.uk/waste