Signs have gone up in South Norwood and other parts of the borough ahead of the rollout later this month
Croydon Council has explained new signs around rubbish and recycling collections which threaten fly-tipping fines, saying the new arrangements only apply to certain households.
The scheme, which will be rolled out later this month, will see flats above shops across the borough given designated times to place rubbish bags and recycling sacks out on the streets. Fly-tipping fines will be issued to anyone placing them on the street outside the permitted timeframe, and potentially to anyone using the wrong colour rubbish bags.
MyLondon asked the council to clarify the rules and who they apply to after a photo was posted in the South Norwood Net Facebook group, showing new signs erected on Portland Road.
The affected homes in the area can only put their waste out between 6pm and 8pm on Monday and Thursday, according to the signs, and it must be separated into relevant recycling and general waste bags, which are colour-coded. However collection days will vary depending on where you live.
The signs in Portland Road read: “Household rubbish and recycling enforced time collection zone. Monday: 6pm – 8pm only, Thursday: 6pm – 8pm only. Place your household recycling and rubbish sacks for collection at a designated collection point.
“Any rubbish or sacks presented at any other time is fly-tipping, and you may be issued a fixed penalty notice.”
The post led to confusion among some residents about whether there were new rules they were unaware of.
One person asked: “Is this for everyone or just specific areas? Never had any letter.” Another queried: “Is this borough wide?”
Another pointed out that it “doesn’t say you need special bags” which is part of the new rules.
What did Croydon Council say?
Croydon Council has explained that red bags will be for general waste, and blue for recycling, with black bags potentially being flagged for fly-tipping. The council added that the new regulations will be strictly enforced and the new arrangements only apply to flats above shops.
The council said the move partially serves to minimise the rate of fly-tipping, an issue MyLondon has covered repeatedly.
A spokesperson for Croydon Council said: “As part of our commitment to enhance our waste and recycling service in Croydon, we are introducing new recycling collections for flats above shops, later in November. This will be accompanied by clear time-banded signs and colour coded waste and recycling sacks, which will make it easier for these residents to know when and where to put out their waste.
“We have let affected residents know and started to put up the time-banded signs, with red sacks for general waste and blue sacks for recycling currently being distributed. Colour-coded sacks should be left out on the specified days between 6-8pm. Any colour-coded bags left outside of this time, or black or unauthorised bags being dumped on the street, may be considered fly-tipping. Enforcement of these collection times will be stepped up.
“This enhanced service will make it easier for these residents to get rid of their waste and recycling. It will also reduce the number of black sacks on the streets which invites fly-tipping, causes problems with rats and foxes, and looks untidy. We are working with residents and businesses to make Croydon Cleaner and ask everyone to play their part.”
Fly-tipping in Croydon
Earlier this year, the council encouraged locals to start naming-and-shaming fly-tippers as part of its ‘zero tolerance’ approach to the problem. The authority now posts footage on a designated page showing people caught in the act.
But Croydon had to defend the move and insist it is “not a slogan”. Figures released earlier this year revealed that, despite thousands of incidents being reported, the council issued just one fly-tipping-related fine in a year.
The South London borough has regularly been named London’s fly-tipping capital in recent years with more than 50,000 incidents reported every year.
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