City of Lincoln Council launches strengthened Wast Enforcement Team to crack down on littering and fly-tipping.
City of Lincoln Council has launched a new Waste Enforcement Team in a real push to crack down on littering, fly-tipping, and waste issues across the city.
The team, which combines proactive on-the-ground action with smarter enforcement, is designed to make a real difference to residents’ daily lives, creating cleaner, safer and more pleasant streets for everyone who lives, works, or studies in Lincoln.
With fly-tipping and waste offences continuing to frustrate communities, the council has made it clear that offenders will be challenged and educated to try to reduce repeat offences, but where necessary, they will also be prosecuted.
These tougher measures aim to reduce recurring problem areas and deliver long-term improvements that residents will be able to see and notice a real difference.
While the council has always had responsibility for waste enforcement, the newly strengthened team brings dedicated time, increased resources, and a sharper focus, allowing officers to have a bigger impact than ever before.
This means quicker responses to local issues, more visible action in hotspots and greater support for communities who have long been affected by persistent waste problems.
The team’s core responsibilities include:
- Managing bins on street issues
- Tackling waste offences and fly-tipping
- Educating residents on rules, responsibilities, and disposal options
- Responding to complaint-led cases
- Everyday proactive patrols, including monitoring CCTV
- Tackling graffiti
- Investigating offenders and producing enforcement documents
The strengthened Waste Enforcement Team has been created as part of the council’s commitment to its wider climate change agenda and its mission to make Lincoln a cleaner, greener, and more environmentally responsible city.
By reducing waste on streets, preventing fly-tipping, and encouraging correct recycling and disposal, the team is helping to cut carbon emissions linked to waste collection, improve local air quality, and protect green spaces from environmental damage.
Cleaner streets not only enhance a sense of pride but also contribute to a more sustainable urban environment, aligning closely with the council’s long-term ambition for Lincoln to become a city that is resilient, environmentally conscious and committed to tackling the challenges of climate change.
Recent months have shown how frontline engagement, including stickers placed on abandoned bins, door-knocking and conversations with residents, delivers immediate results and helps prevent issues from recurring.
This educational approach not only supports compliance but also empowers residents to keep their streets cleaner.
In recent months, the team has carried out hundreds of interventions across Lincoln, demonstrating both the scale of the issue and the council’s determination to address it.
Over a three-month period, officers visited nearly 200 streets, placed more than 780 stickers on bins, and knocked on over 600 doors to speak directly with residents.
This proactive engagement has led to a steady increase in formal action where needed, with Community Protection Warnings (CPWs) rising from 13 to 39 in the space of three months as officers escalated cases involving repeat offenders.
While the number of bins on streets has fluctuated month to month, there was a significant spike in case numbers prior to Christmas, reflecting both seasonal behaviour and the team’s increased visibility in hotspot areas.
Park, Abbey, and Carholme wards continued to be the most affected locations, reinforcing the need for the daily monitoring, CCTV reviews, and rapid response the new team now provides, all of which contribute directly to building cleaner, healthier, and more welcoming communities.
The team’s presence has already been well-received locally. During the recent Sincil Bank Week of Action, officers visited streets across the ward, speaking directly with residents about the consequences of fly-tipping and how to correctly manage waste.
Residents and the Sincil Bank Community Hub have reported noticeably cleaner streets, especially in Park Ward, a visible example of the kind of difference the strengthened team is already making.
Cllr Lucinda Preston, Portfolio Holder for Reducing Inequality at City of Lincoln Council, said: “We simply cannot allow fly-tippers and waste offenders to blight our city. Residents deserve clean, safe streets, and this team is stepping in to make a real, visible change.
“This is a real priority for us, and we’re cracking down on offenders with a goal to talk with and educate residents to encourage more people to bring their bins in, put any litter in bins, and not graffiti.
“We were already tackling waste offences, but now we’re going further, with more resources, more proactive work, and more enforcement.
“Lincoln residents have been clear about wanting cleaner streets. This team is our answer, and we won’t hesitate to take action against those who let our city down.”
The new waste enforcement team allows the council to go further, with more staff time dedicated to problem areas, more education delivered on the doorstep, and a tougher stance on persistent offenders, all contributing to the long-term goal of creating cleaner streets and improving the overall quality of life for Lincoln’s residents.
Fly-tipping can be reported at www.lincoln.gov.uk/online/report-flytipping.
