Fly-tipping reports are consistently lower in Islington compared to any other London borough according to recent data released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The statistics, released on 26 February, reveal that 1,347 reports of fly-tipping were made in the year 2023/24 – a sharp contrast to the neighbouring boroughs of Camden and Hackney, which received 34,786 and 33,464 reports, respectively.
Action against fly-tipping has also strengthened in the borough, with 2,003 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) having been issued in the year 2023/24 – a 12.5 per cent increase from 2022/23.
Although it has defended its title of London’s cleanest borough, Islington has received a 4.25 per cent increase in the number of fly-tipping reports from 2022/23, with most incidents occurring on roads and highways.
Most of the reports are associated with the dumping of household waste. However, the number of fly-tipping incidents relating to construction and demolition work has also increased from 2022/23.
Islington Council announced on 27 February that the penalty charge for fly-tipping will increase from £400 to £800 from April 2025.
According to the data, fly-tipping is a growing problem across the country. Defra reported that there were 1.15 million incidents of fly-tipping in 2023/24 – a 6 per cent increase from 2022/23.
Islington Council was contacted for comment on the data.
MA Newspaper Journalism at City, University of London. Bylines in MyLondon, Clash Magazine, DIY Magazine, and more. Freelance Arts and Culture Journalist.