Mid and East Antrim: 'steady decrease' in level of incidents despite almost 300 fly-tipping complaints
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council received 294 complaints of fly-tipping during the 2024/25 financial year.
A report presented to a recent meeting of the council’s Environment and Economy Committee said of these, 143 were “substantiated on investigation”.
The report also stated the council received 48 complaints of littering during this period. Of these, 18 were validated. However, it indicated the borough council has seen a “steady decrease” in levels of fly-tipping and littering.
The report also noted Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has secured £22,500 funding from Keep Britain Tidy’s Chewing Gum Taskforce Grant supported by DAERA to purchase new equipment to tackle “gum staining” across the borough.
Last year, five local authorities in Northern Ireland were awarded grants totalling £111.512. The initiative is designed to tackle gum staining and change behaviour so that more people bin gum after use.
DAERA says: “By combining targeted street cleaning with specially designed signage to encourage people to bin their gum, participating councils have seen reductions in gum littering of up to 80% in the first two months, with a reduced rate of gum littering still being observed after six months.”
Eco Rangers NI, a voluntary community organisation and charity, established by Larne man Abe Agnew BEM, reported its volunteers collected more than 378 bags of marine waste weighing 1913kgs, during May, in Larne and Carrickfergus.
In April, volunteers collected 314 bags weighing in at 1409kgs. A litter pick at Carrick’s skate park and surrounding area in association with local scouts resulted in 19 bags of rubbish. During March, the Eco Rangers NI collected 467 bags of litter.
Commenting on social media, Eco Rangers NI said: “Our volunteers work tirelessly and do a tremendous job but it is heart breaking to see the need for it.
“Eco Rangers NI is a volunteer organisation whose main focus is litter picking, but we go very far beyond that. Our efforts not only help beautify the local surroundings but also raise awareness about the importance of responsible waste disposal and the detrimental effects of litter on wildlife and ecosystems.”
Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter