Fly tipping continues to rise in some of Newtown's green spaces

Open Newtown has reported a rise in fly tipping and misuse of park waste bins across Newtown’s green spaces, with evidence now being passed to Powys County Council for investigation.

In its latest land management report to Newtown Town Council’s Services Committee, the organisation says both household and commercial waste has been found dumped in public park bins and woodland areas near housing estates.

The report states: “In January we discovered residential black bin waste in our park bins, alongside commercial waste.”

It adds that some of the dumped material contained identifying details and has been formally referred to the county council. “Household black bin bag waste contained details of residents’ property, so passed onto PCC for investigation,” the report says.

Open Newtown is the trading name of Going Green for a Living Community Land Trust Ltd. It is a not for profit social enterprise that manages more than 100 acres of parkland and green space in Newtown under a long term lease and service level agreement, with responsibility for grass cutting, tree maintenance and waste collection in designated areas.

The organisation says much of the material should not have been placed in park bins at all. The report notes: “All identified fly tipped waste could and should have been recycled.”

A series of deterrent measures are now being introduced in affected areas. These include restricting access routes, planting hedges, and installing physical barriers.

“This winter we have planned maintenance work to close off some of the pedestrian ways into this area, to deter people fly tipping large and heavy items,” the report states. “We’ll be introducing new hedges, both newly planted materials and creating deadwood hedges in the area.”

Safety is also a factor behind the changes, with the report adding: “We want to make the woodland area safe for children of families who probably live nearby.”

Open Newtown is also considering surveillance options to tackle repeat offenders. The report says: “We may need to introduce CCTV and trail cameras to identify the small number of repeat fly tipping offenders. Investigating options.”