Why fly-tipping in Preston costs almost £300k more than the clean-up
Fly-tipping in Preston costs the public purse almost £300,000 per year more than the money that has to be spent on cleaning it up.
That is because those who illegally dump rubbish in the streets or on wasteland also evade the landfill tax that would have had to be paid if the waste had been disposed of properly.
According to an assessment of government statistics by waste management experts BusinessWaste.co.uk, fly-tipping in the North West during 2023/24 would have generated an estimated £7m in landfill tax - £286,000 of which would have emanated from the Preston area.
Mark Hall, from the firm, said: “While landfill tax has risen year-on-year from 2012 to 2024 to encourage the diversion of waste to more sustainable routes, this also means the cost of fly-tipping has risen significantly.
“When we discuss fly- tipping, we often note the cost for cleanup and the environmental toll created by illegal dumping. While both of these are important considerations, we rarely look to evaluate how much tax money the Treasury has lost due to fly-tipping activity.
“This is important as the money raised can go to supporting environmental initiatives or to supporting wider community needs like healthcare and infrastructure.
“Not only does the public pay for the cleanup of illegal waste, but they also lose out on vital tax funds.”
The standard rate of landfill tax is currently £125.16 per tonne, but will rise to £130.75 from 1st April.