How to end fly-tipping
Fly-tippers hate being exposed
People are less likely to fly-tip when they know their discarded items will, within hours, be on view to everyone in their area.
Fly-tippers suffer from photophobia - they like to operate in the dark. Thanks to the locally focused Nextdoor social media service, we can now shine a light on them, exposing them to the hard glare of society - what behavioural scientists call a “social incentive” - and the full force of the law (fines are unlimited).
If people know that there is a real chance of getting a fine, they will think twice. (CleanUp Britain, 2016)
It’s relatively easy to trace a fly tip back to its source so, once word of the scheme gets out, a would-be tipper or egregious local litterer begins to feel a sense of unease. And we can all begin to relax and enjoy a pristine parish.
Here’s what to do
Go to the Nextdoor Website and/or download the Nextdoor App from Google Play or the Apple Store and register as a member
On seeing a fly tip, take one or more photos.
Upload your photo(s) to Nextdoor together with the location of the tip and any other relevant details. Residents of your parish and of adjoining parishes may then be able to help identify the source of the tip.
Inform the local district council (e.g. Cotswold District Council). They will remove the tip and prosecute where they have evidence.
Fly-tipping Psychology
The key to deterring tipping is that potential fly tippers are anxious the items they dump will point to them. They know the sort of stuff that is fly tipped is traceable. Their discomfort comes from the fact that their fly tip will likely be displayed online for their own and neighbouring parishes to see.
Whereas single items of litter in your parish may have been discarded by people from far away, large amounts of rubbish tend to be dumped by fly tippers as near to their home territory as possible.
Using Nextdoor, we can leverage the wisdom of the crowd, making it known throughout the neighbourhood that the cloak of secrecy has been stripped away.
We know that, unlike littering, fly tipping is a thoughtful process - it needs to be planned. So, through getting the word about locally, we interject an unsettling idea (hi-vis jackets at the front door) into the thought process.
Currently, there are over one million incidents of fly-tipping a year. Together, we can make a dent in that figure.
Spread the word about Nextdoor. Help end fly-tipping.