A motion entitled ‘Pro-active Prevention of Fly-Tipping Hotspots’ is being brought to Full Council on Thursday, October 22, by Labour Councillor Princia Fernandes.
The motion acknowledges that Swindon Borough Council currently states it spends more than £200,000 each year on collecting fly-tipped waste and taking enforcement action.
But the motion says that “repeated clearance alone” does not always address the causes of persistent dumping, and that some locations continue to be targeted despite ongoing clean-up efforts.
It calls for evidence-led interventions, including surveillance, improved signage, lighting, changes to waste collection arrangements and physical prevention measures.
It also suggests that a time-limited Community Skip Scheme could be trialled in selected areas.
This follows schemes piloted in other parts of the country, such as Boston and Ealing, where supervised skips have helped residents safely dispose of bulky household items and reduce illegal dumping.
Swindon’s Environmental Team, established in January 2026, has already removed large volumes of fly-tipped waste and engaged with residents to address the problem, according to the motion.
The council believes the team should continue to grow and adapt to meet the expectations of Swindon residents and tackle the root causes of fly-tipping.
Under the motion, the council will request that the cabinet member for recycling and streetscene brings forward proposals to Cabinet for an evidence-led approach to identifying and addressing fly-tipping hotspots.
The approach would include lawful evidence gathering, partnership working with other agencies, and tailored prevention measures.
A pilot Community Skip Scheme would be launched in a small number of suitable areas affected by persistent fly-tipping, subject to officer assessment and resource availability.
The skips would be for residents and household waste only and would exclude commercial waste and unsuitable or hazardous materials unless specifically authorised.
The scheme would also promote reuse and recycling wherever possible.
The council would coordinate efforts across relevant services, track outcomes such as repeat fly-tipping rates and enforcement actions, and review the pilot after six months.
Findings and recommendations would be reported to elected members.
This follows SBC’s Big Town Centre Clean-Up in August, which successfully saw over eight tonnes of litter, overgrown vegetation and fly-tipped waste removed from Swindon town centre.
But fly-tipping and rubbish appears to remain a problem in Swindon.
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Labour Councillor Marina Strinkovsky told the Adver: “Tackling fly-tipping requires a system solution and long term follow-up and not just a one off clean-up.
“A lot of issues that drive fly-tipping are to do with difficulties that residents have disposing of domestic waste appropriately, because the systems are not there to support them.”
She said that the fly-tipping also comes from businesses and from people who come from outside Swindon.
“There is more than one problem and [it] requires different solutions and really needs thinking about.”
Labour Councillor Paul Dixon added: “The big town centre clean up was a short term measure to tidy up the the main streets around the town centre.
“However it didn’t address the wider challenges of flytipping and miss-presented waste across all of the borough, which still persists.
“Alongside appropriate enforcements I would like to see the council making it easier for residents to dispose of their rubbish.
“I think a community skip scheme is worth trying to see if we can tackle the issue in problem areas.”
Labour Councillor Imtiyaz Shaikh said: “There is still a significant proportion of people in Swindon who fail to take pride in the areas where they live, and this is deeply disappointing to see.
“My fellow Queens Park councillors [Cllr Strinkovsky and Cllr Dixon] and I have worked alongside residents & volunteer groups over the years and recently to clean parts of the Tented Market and take part in the Big Town Centre Clean-Up.
“To see fly-tipping and rubbish reappearing in these very same areas so soon afterwards is incredibly disheartening.
“It undermines the hard work of everyone who gives up their time to make our town cleaner and more welcoming.
“Fly-tipping must have serious consequences. These acts degrade communities, local areas and impact house sale prices.
“The Council needs to enforce stronger policies, tougher penalties for offenders and a clear message that this behaviour will not be tolerated.
“However, I don’t think enforcement alone is enough. The Council must take a serious, proactive and sustained approach to tackling the issue, ensuring that offenders are identified, waste is removed promptly and preventative measures are put in place to stop the same problems recurring.”
Councillor Kevin Parry, cabinet member for recycling and streetscene, said:
“Fly-tipping is a blight on our communities, costing Swindon Borough Council more than £200,000 each year to clear up waste and [take] enforcement action.
“This Conservative administration is determined to keep our streets and rural communities clean while restoring pride across Swindon.
“That’s why we are taking a zero-tolerance approach to those who dump waste illegally.
“We continue to target fly-tipping hotspots and impose tougher fines which we are increasing to £5000.
“We also continue to upgrade CCTV across the town including Fleming Way, Spring Gardens, Brunel West and Whalebridge car park, helping us crack down on fly-tipping and wider anti-social behaviour.”