File:The Third System (33788435375).jpg

My thanks to Cllr Peray Ahmet for telling me about a Haringey Council Press Release. It publicised the prosecution of a resident for fly-tipping from a van. The man was "spotted by a council manager" while wearing a Council "hi-visibility vest".

The Press Release doesn't tell us very much more. Was this part of a planned operation to catch commercial fly-tippers? Or was it a lucky chance? Was the rubbish his own? Was the man a trader saving money by dumping commercial waste? Or had he been paid by residents? By builders? By landlords?   In my view, the Press Release is not much more than a good-news-story designed to show Haringey Council in a positive light. Man-in-van-caught-and summoned-to-court. Except that he didn't show-up in court and was found guilty in his absence.   As upbeat news, it provided an opportunity for Haringey's "Comms" Team to pretend - despite the evidence of residents' own eyes - that our council is winning the battle by "getting tough" with people who dump rubbish on our streets.   Along these lines, the Press Release included a quotation from Cllr Peray Ahmet, the elected "cabinet" councillor. Her responsibilities include waste management.   In a separate tweet to me, Cllr Ahmet explained that they "are trying to ramp up enforcement".

Cllr Peray Ahmet's quotation in the Press Release

"We vowed to get tough on fly-tipping and this crown court conviction shows we mean business. From the minute our council employee spotted the fly-tipper, it was a hands-on investigation for our staff, who worked tirelessly with the police on this case."   “Fly-tipping costs Haringey taxpayers more than £3 million a year and ruins the streets for our residents. We are determined to tackle this expensive, antisocial, problem and will not hesitate to prosecute those who do it.”

My Comment

I'm not denying the significant harm - environmental, social and financial - caused by people who take money to dispose of waste, only to dump it irresponsibly. But I'm not convinced that a handful of successful prosecutions - or even a far higher number of on-the-spot fines - will turn the tide on our wider problem.   Walk the streets of Tottenham to see the unofficial, tacit and tolerated Third System.

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§ Haringey Council <a href="http://www.haringey.gov.uk/news/man-disguised-council-worker-found-guilty-fly-tipping" rel="nofollow">Press Release in full</a>. § The Third System is further explained below.