FEATURE
Platforms like ClearWaste, FixMyStreet and Love Clean Streets allow residents to photograph flytipping, tag the location and submit it directly to local authorities. respond faster and build intelligence about problem zones. Crucially, they also close the loop: residents can see when their report has been investigated or cleared, restoring a sense of accountability.
“ Public engagement is key,” said Martin Montague, founder of ClearWaste.“ Technology gives people an easy, transparent way to report and track issues, and that builds trust with local authorities.”
The synergy between smart cameras, mobile apps and real-time analytics is creating a feedback loop that’ s reshaping environmental enforcement.
Tackling organised waste crime
This week’ s discussions around fly-tipping have also highlighted a darker, related issue: serious and organised waste crime. The House of Lords’ Environment and Climate Change Committee has warned that criminal gangs are making‘ millions of pounds’ by running illegal waste sites, falsifying disposal records and mislabelling hazardous waste to dodge landfill tax.
Here too, technology is proving essential.
The UK Environment Agency and private partners are developing digital waste-tracking systems that follow every tonne of waste from collection to final treatment. Using secure databases, each transfer is logged and time-stamped, creating an immutable audit trail.
This transparency makes it harder for rogue operators to‘ lose’ waste in the system or forge documents. Trials under the Defra Digital
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