Residents and business workers have been left frustrated by Islington Council’s lack of action in dealing with fly-tipping.
Piles of household waste, including a disused beer box and empty bottles of washing up liquid, have been sighted spilling out of a walled terrace near Sussex Close.
In the North of the borough, stacks of unwanted clothes are dumped daily outside a donation bin on Hornsey Road.
Valentina Giordano, a Holloway resident of 12 years, said the clothes bin is overflowing almost every day.
“What’s the point of having clothes collection bins if they are never emptied and are too full for people to drop off their recycling?” she said.
Despite the introduction of the ‘Clean Islington App’ in 2016, locals say that the problem persists.
“Nothing has changed,” said Giordano. “It’s a lot worse around commercial premises. Very often street bins are used as dumping grounds for all sorts of bagged and non-bagged waste. The situation is out of control,” she added.
“It is noticeable that Islington under Labour has got TO BE a more dirty place.” – terry stacy.
Daniela, who works at the Crown pub on Cloudesley Road, said: “Fly-tipping is a big issue. Despite having big bins outside the pub, people seem to prefer to leave piles of rubbish next to them.
“It doesn’t look tidy to receive customers. At night, we have problems with foxes ripping them open which makes it even worse. It’s frustrating,” she said.
Previous Freedom of Information requests sent to the council revealed that from 2012-13 to 2015-16 fly-tipping incidents increased by 87 per cent.
Terry Stacy, a former head of the council, claims the decision to introduce a £10 fine for large items is the reason for the increase.
“The key thing is the council’s stupid mistake to introduce bulk rubbish collection charges has contributed to people dumping. It is noticeable that Islington under Labour has got to be a more dirty place,” he said.
Islington Conservatives say that the council is failing to adequately address the problem, pointing out the decision to raise taxes last year.
Chairman Ed McGuiness said: “It’s ridiculous that the council says they don’t have enough resources when they raised council tax last year.
“I think the issue with the council is that they spend too much time with the outcome and not tackling the root cause.
“In our view, we should be focusing on local people, local views and building a local community spirit,” he added.
