Islington is the cleanest area in London, with fewer recorded incidents of fly-tipping than any borough in the city, according to new data.
An Islington Now analysis of the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs figures shows that there were 1,292 fly-tipping incidents on the streets of Islington in 2022/23, 90% lower than the London average of 12,790.
Fly-tipping in Islington is also at its lowest level for ten years, having peaked in 2015-16, when 4,174 incidents were recorded in the borough.
“Fly-tipping used to be a weekly occurrence on my street,” said Gillian, who lives between Clerkenwell and Pentonville. The rubbish was attracting wildlife – foxes were regular visitors. Our health, safety, and well-being were all taken away.”
“We contacted Islington Council, specifically the environment department – they were brilliant,” Gillian added. “A senior compliance officer wrote a letter to every resident of our street outlining the rules for rubbish collection, and then there was a remarkable difference in the following week.”
Gillian encourages residents and the council to “work together as a community” to address fly-tipping.
Other residents, however, baulked at the figures. “They are lying,” said Georgia, who lives in Newington Green. “We don’t believe that. It’s not getting any better at all.”
“Fly-tipping is terrible in Petherton Road and it’s constant,” she said. “I see it happens every single day – probably about four different places in the street, and no one is helping to make it better.”
Gary, who has lived in Islington and Hackney for more than 60 years, said fly-tipping is constant on his street: “Dog walkers would dump their dog waste, and people just form the habit of dumping rubbish on the same spot.”
“They are lying. We don’t believe that. It’s not getting any better at all.”
Georgia
Another Islington resident, who asked not to be named, said she is “often taken back at how much litter is on the London streets compared to other European capitals”.
“There are fly-tipping ‘hotspots’ in my local Islington area which are ugly eyesores, let alone possible breeding grounds for rats,” she added.
Both Georgia and Gary agree Islington Council should take more action to punish fly-tippers.
“They should put cameras up and catch them and then act upon it because they are always tipping in the same place. Also, it’s going to get worse now because they are charging you as well for all the rubbish collections, so people are going to tip because there’s nowhere else to put it,” said Georgia.
