This week, I appeared on the BBC evening news talking about how Newport is the fly-tipping capital of Wales.

A recent freedom of information request has revealed Newport Council logged 7,318 incidents of fly-tipping last year. A year earlier, Welsh Government statistics also showed Newport recorded the highest number in Wales for 2023/24 with 8,139 incidents. This was 37 per cent more than second placed Cardiff with 5,931 incidents.

Last year's number of 7,318 recorded incidents is 63 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels when the city recorded 2,697 incidents in 2018/19.

Fly-tipping incidents have clearly exploded over the last five years in Newport with dirty streets and discarded rubbish. I often see dumped black bags located next to street litter bins or near bus stops. We can all see it. But why has this happened? How has it got so bad?

In my view, we are seeing a 'perfect storm' created by an accumulation of bad decisions made by the council itself.

Firstly, in April 2019, we saw the roll-out of smaller household bins. Most residents' 180L black bins were replaced with tiny 120L bins. That equated to a 33 per cent reduction in bin disposal capacity.

Secondly, in May 2020, the council introduced an online booking system for the city's tip. Gone are the days of a quick impromptu, same day visit to the tip.

Thirdly, in April 2019, new charges were introduced at the tip for the disposal of items like plasterboard, rubble, soil, and tyres.

Fourthly, in June 2023, we saw the phased roll-out of three weekly bin collections. That represented another 33.3 per cent reduction in disposal capacity.

Finally, in April 2019, the council increased its charge for the collection of bulky items to a minimum of £20. Up until 2019 it was a flat fee of just £6 per item. This represented an increase of 233 per cent - the equivalent of £14 extra to the base charge.

Newport Council is literally penny-pinching everywhere from tip charges to fees for the collection of bulky items - now up to £22 in 2025. It has also saved an estimated £320,000 annually by introducing three weekly bin collections. i.e. cutting staff time, vehicle fuel, and waste treatment needs.

However, in 2023/24, the Welsh Government listed Newport as having the highest fly-tipping 'clearance costs' of any local authority in Wales. A whopping £343,274. This was even higher than all the authorities combined in the mid-and-South West area of Wales (£283,245).

Recycling rates in Newport may be among the best in Wales, but are all the stringent measures now in place triggering an epidemic of fly-tipping?