Fly-tipping is a scourge of the community and a crime all councils are keen to clamp down on. 

Despite their best efforts, Greater Manchester councils have seen 93,629 fly-tipping incidents reported between 2020 and 2022.

According to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) data, five boroughs saw a reduction in 2021/2022 compared to the previous year but five saw an increase.

GM areas provided a large chunk of the total 128,426 incidents recorded across the north west in 2021/22 – down from 140,220 in the previous year.

As well as posing significant and environmental health risks, fly-tipping can be a legal and financial burden. Local authorities are usually left to clean up the mess left by fly-tippers, which means the taxpayer is picking up the bill for people too lazy to dispose of their rubbish properly.

DEFRA data estimates it costs on average £1,000, and £10,000 for large-scale incidents to clean up. Most councils use fines as enforcement action and have taken people to court over the matter.

Here is how each GM borough ranks in terms of total fly-tipping incidents between the start of 2020 and the end of 2022 and an individual breakdown of data:

Manchester – 28,890

Rochdale – 11,583

Salford – 11,190

Tameside – 9,165

Oldham – 7,475

Stockport – 7,153

Bury – 6,631

Trafford – 6,037

Wigan – 3,071

Bolton – 2,434

The council in Trafford is working with other agencies to crack down on fly-tippers and even increased the cost of their fines. They also work with local schools to educate youngsters on this issue.

In 2021/22 they had 2,521 reports, which is a decrease from the previous year at 3,516.

A spokesperson for Trafford Council said: “Trafford Council is working hard alongside partners including Greater Manchester Police, housing providers and other agencies to tackle the blight of fly-tipping within our communities. Environmental enforcement officers and staff from One Trafford are also working closely to identify hot-spots to allow us to target fly-tippers.

“We also have a dedicated telephone line (0161 912 4152) to report fly-tippers and have increased our fixed penalty notices for those caught from £200 to £400. We are also working closely with schools, local businesses and the local community to highlight our key messages to reduce littering, fly-tipping and increase recycling. We are pleased with the decrease in the number of fly-tipping incidents but will continue to work hard to bring the figures down even further.”