City of York Council's efforts to clamp down on fly-tipping have paid off, ridding back lanes of rubbish and reducing the number of complaints by half in one area of the city.

Since the council's new-look Streetscene service was launched in the west of the city in early December, a new approach to tackling fly-tipping, littering, graffiti and other problems has been adopted. This has seen staff armed with barrows and sweeping brushes, along with a dedicated enforcement officer, patrolling streets in the west of the city as part of the pilot scheme. Once the success of the scheme has been evaluated, this new way of working could be rolled out to other areas of the city.

Russell Stone, streetscene manager for the council, said: "Some residential areas have problems with fly-tipping because individuals dump unwanted goods in back lanes in the belief that refuse collectors will take them away. This is actually illegal fly-tipping. Bulky items like electrical goods, furniture and building waste should be disposed of properly by whoever produces it."

Following the launch of the new-look Streetscene service, an enforcement officer has been knocking on doors in problem areas to raise awareness of fly-tipping, remind residents how to dispose of waste properly and, where necessary, take enforcement action. Members of the Streetscene team have then cleared these areas of rubbish to leave the back lanes clean and tidy.

Jackie Armitage, project officer for the council's Streetscene service, urged local residents not to use door-to-door refuse collection services because they could unwittingly be adding to the problem of fly-tipping. She explained: "We would not recommend that anyone uses a 'man with a van' type refuse collection service because there are people out there who illegally dispose of the rubbish that they collect.

"Anyone who receives a call from a door-to-door service should ask them for proof of registration for waste transfer. If their charges seem too good to be true, then they probably are and your waste could end up being fly-tipped."

Any waste that can't be disposed of in a bin or refuse sack, should be taken to one of the council's three household waste recycling centres at Beckfield Lane, Towthorpe and Hazel Court. However, the council also offers a collection service for up to ten bulky items at once for a small charge.

For more information about the council's household waste recycling centres and bulky collection service, please visit the council's website at www.york.gov.uk or call the York Pride action line on 551551.