Alongside the main thoroughfare in Ladywell, located in south-east London, a man meticulously rummages through a plastic bag filled with discarded items.

“This constitutes the core work of the environmental enforcement team,” Eiman Rostami explains as his colleague Peter digs through the debris of paper and plastic. “We suspect this is unauthorized waste that has been improperly disposed of.”

Peter expresses his belief that the rubbish likely originated from a barber shop before he triumphantly extracts a piece of paper that reveals the establishment’s details.

“With this evidence, we’ll be able to issue a fixed penalty notice for fly-tipping to that location,” states Eiman, who serves as Lewisham’s planning enforcement manager and acts as the interim head of environmental enforcement.

Like many regions across the UK, fly-tipping is a significant issue in this borough.

Last year alone, it received upwards of 38,000 reports of illegally dumped waste, allocating £600,000 for cleanup efforts. However, the total expense—factoring in enforcement actions and the repercussions for local businesses—runs into the millions.

To combat this, the borough employs a team of 17 enforcement officers who patrol the streets in search of those littering them.

Today, we accompany Alain N’Guessan Bi on his usual route, and he gestures toward a corner just off Ladywell Road where a heap of bin bags and cardboard boxes is scattered outside a residence.

This spot has become a notorious site for dumping. On a similar patrol two weeks earlier, Peter discovered discarded bags, a wooden pallet, and even a broken office chair.

Eiman notes that it took merely a day or two for this latest accumulation to appear.

Some of the debris can stay, as the blue, red, and orange bags are designated for road sweepers, flats located above shops, and businesses—making this an authorized collection point.

“But sadly, human behavior comes into play: people see a substantial pile of rubbish on the roadside and think, ‘I have some waste too; rather than taking it to the dump, I’ll just add it here,'” he comments.

“It’s true that the mess gets cleaned up. However, we end up cleaning much more than we are authorized to handle, leading to additional costs.”

The enforcement team undertakes investigations “to deter this kind of behavior,” and a fine of £1,000 is set to be imposed on the current violator.

Earlier this year, the council raised the maximum fine for fly-tipping from £400 to £1,000 as part of a broader crackdown; since October, the number of fines issued has nearly doubled compared to the same time last year, reaching almost 120 each month.

However, government statistics reveal the challenges they face, as fly-tipping incidents in the borough have surged in recent years.

While some of this increase can be attributed to the launch of a new app that simplifies the reporting process for residents, Eiman indicates that the number of incidents has escalated significantly.

The offenders often consist of “habitual offenders who repeatedly engage in the same activities” and “many individuals who are simply unaware of the regulations.”

Venturing further into Lewisham town center, we find evidence of a home move, with bed frames, metal poles, and other household garbage heaped against a green metal street cabinet.

“The challenge with this type of fly-tipping is that it’s often hard to trace where it originated. Personally, I don’t label my mattress with my address,” Eiman remarks.

To identify the perpetrators, the team seeks alternative methods, such as utilizing CCTV.

Although they possess portable cameras, in this instance, footage has been provided by a nearby shop.

Max Geddess, the proprietor of The Cyclery Lewisham, installed a camera outside his store after growing frustrated with the repeated appearance of fly-tipped waste on the pavement.

“There was an incident where someone discarded bags containing cooking oil or fat, and a woman fell on them while removing her pram from the bus… That was the final straw for us,” he recounts.

Two weeks ago, he shared footage of a recurring offender who had once again dumped rubbish outside his bike shop. His camera captured this latest violation, and the team has confirmed they will issue a fine.

“It’s unfortunate that we have to take these measures, but someone must step up,” Max says. “The environmental agency isn’t omnipresent, so we all need to collaborate to tackle this problem.”

Another problematic area is an alleyway that has drawn numerous complaints.

Situated behind a series of shops and residences, a significant accumulation of waste spills from plastic bags, alongside wooden crates, a soiled mattress, and an abandoned shopping trolley.

Fines aren’t applicable here as it’s private property, so Eiman mentions the team will “explore alternative solutions” to assist nearby residents dealing with the unsightly mess.

Initially, they will engage with the local landowners to inform them of the situation and communicate the necessity of addressing it. This issue might then be referred to planning enforcement colleagues who could utilize council authority to ensure the area is cleaned.

Eiman stresses that the educational aspect of their work is just as vital as enforcement.

Commenting on recent high-profile cases, such as an individual receiving a £1,000 fine over a single envelope, Eiman notes that the story was “shared in our workplace WhatsApp group,” along with instructions to ensure proportionality in enforcement measures.

He states that although “strictly speaking, that may qualify as an environmental offense,” the team adopts a more nuanced approach.

“If you’re here for the benefit of the community, it’s challenging to justify the impact of potentially dragging a person like that into a criminal matter,” he observes.

As such, the team engages with individuals to preemptively address fly-tipping situations.

“For newcomers to our community, we might provide a leaflet advising them, ‘Please be aware that these actions constitute environmental offenses.'”

Other strategies aim to ease the process of disposing of larger waste items, with the removal fee now reduced to £5 from a previous flat rate of £42 for up to four items.

Additionally, time banding is being implemented, requiring individuals using the colored bags to leave them at collection points during designated times to curb illegal dumping.

“A significant portion of our efforts involves highlighting the limitations of our services,” Eiman explains. “It’s unjust to impose strict enforcement when we haven’t provided an easy solution for waste disposal, which is why we strive to maintain a pragmatic approach.

“Ultimately, our goal is to clean up the borough, not to impose penalties.”