However, London’s most populous borough has recently gained a reputation for having one of England’s most persistent fly-tipping problems.
Fly-tipping, the illegal dumping of rubbish on land where it is not permitted, has affected the borough for a number of years, although the reasons behind the rise are varied.
Some residents now feel the council’s own waste collection system has contributed to the problem.
Croydon Council’s waste management is operated by Veolia, a transnational utilities company whose contract was renewed in April amid accusations of poor service and missed collections.
Despite promises to improve services, campaigners say the current setup is confusing residents and encouraging fly-tipping hotspots.
The scale of the issue
While households and flats are generally expected to put rubbish in bins outside their property, the rules for flats above shops in Croydon differ.
The council introduced a system called Time-Banded Collections (TBWC) in 2016, requiring residents of flats above shops and ground-floor businesses to leave rubbish on pavements between 5pm and 8am.
The scheme was designed for properties with no outdoor space for bins. Although this is often true for properties accessed directly from the high street, the policy was also extended to flats with rear access via alleys or service roads.
In many cases, the council removed residents’ bins entirely, instructing them to leave rubbish on the street instead.
Some argue this has worsened the fly-tipping problem, with service roads and alleyways often turning into informal dumping grounds.
Tony Hooker of community group Litter Free Norbury told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that many of these sites now require near-daily reporting via the council-backed LoveCleanStreets app.
He said: “Many people in the community are not aware of the system and just think the residents of the flats are fly-tipping.
“Others, unfortunately, have seen the opportunity to ‘pile-on’ and fly-tip with impunity at the places they now perceive as legitimate fly-tipping hotspots.”
The issue is further complicated by commercial waste, which is also left in these locations.
While some of this is legitimate, other waste may be fly-tipped.
Veolia crews do not always collect from side-road spots, despite the company saying their lorries are meant to.
Campaigners say the problem disproportionately affects the north of the borough, where more people live above shops.
Mr Hooker highlighted roads off London Road as notorious TBWC fly-tipping hotspots, including Pollards Hill South, Galpins Road, Strathyre Avenue, Headcorn Road, Tylecroft Road, St Helen’s Road, and Norbury Crescent.
Residents say household waste, including dirty nappies and food, left on streets is often torn open by foxes and vermin.
The mess affects the appearance of roads and raises hygiene concerns.
Mr Hooker added: “I spoke to a resident of one of these flats along Norbury High Street, a Polish girl called Paula, who said she was embarrassed having to run out and dump her waste by the side of the road.
“She would always get her boyfriend to do it as she was scared someone would abuse her.”
The LDRS previously reported a case where a resident had raised concerns for seven years about the removal of their bins before later receiving a fly-tipping fine.
In 2022, the Norbury resident told the LDRS: “Somehow, someone has decided that the corner of Norbury Crescent is a dumping ground.
“Most of it is household rubbish. I have tried to figure out who it is, but it happens at night between midnight and 6am.”
Contract renewal and improvements
Croydon renewed its waste contract with Veolia on April 1, which is due to last eight years and is reportedly worth around £40 million.
Despite complaints that the previous service fell short, particularly due to missed collections, the council stated that the new contract would deliver an improved waste collection service.
Under the previous contract, collections ended at 10pm, leaving rubbish from late-night businesses such as restaurants, bars and takeaways on the streets overnight.
As part of the improved system, flats above shops are now scheduled for twice-weekly collections.
Veolia crews are also expected to work through the night to remove all bagged waste and keep district and local centres clean.
While the new system is designed to keep waste off the streets for longer periods, some campaigners say it has yet to make a noticeable difference.
Enforcement of punishment of those caught fly-tipping
Campaigners also argue that fly-tipping has persisted due to a lack of effective enforcement.
Mr Hooker said: “Since the Council made them all redundant, it has had nobody to manage and provide oversight, compliance and enforcement with the system it created.”
Figures released earlier this year showed Croydon secured just 11 prosecutions for littering and none for graffiti or fly-posting in the past year.
The shortfall has been linked to the 2022 decision to axe Neighbourhood Safety Officers, who once patrolled streets as the council’s “boots on the ground.”
Since then, four new Enforcement Officers have been hired to focus on intelligence-led, street-based enforcement.
Signage hoped to make things clearer
The new contract also included plans for improved signage for residents living in flats above shops.
The signage is intended to help residents understand where and when to put out their branded waste sacks, reducing the risk of rubbish being left in the wrong place and inadvertently contributing to fly-tipping.
However, Mr Hooker says he and other Litter Free Norbury members have yet to see any of this signage in place in their area.
While the council also promised information packs and literature for each flat, campaigners believe the public remains largely unaware of the changes.
Residents’ response?
Some residents are petitioning the council for urgent changes to the system, citing years of what they see as a failing collection service.
Thornton Heath activist Graham Mitchell said: “I started the petition because our pavements, particularly in the north of Croydon, are being used as dumping grounds.
“It’s unsightly, it attracts fly-tipping, and it sends the wrong message about Croydon.”
More than 340 people have signed the petition, calling on Croydon Council and Veolia to improve rubbish storage and street cleaning.
Mr Mitchell criticised Veolia’s handling of collections, saying: “I recently cleared the aftermath of three fly-tips myself, only to be told by Veolia that their evening crews don’t even have tools for sweeping.
It’s extraordinary that a company with multi-billion-dollar income can’t equip crews with a broom.”
He also highlighted discrepancies between resident reports on the LoveCleanStreets app and Veolia’s explanations, adding: “These basic failings undermine the Mayor’s promise to deal with Croydon’s ‘broken windows’ problem.”
Both Mr Mitchell and Mr Hooker have expressed frustration over the lack of transparency regarding the new Service Level Agreement, which remains largely redacted despite repeated Freedom of Information requests.
Both campaigners remain in regular contact with Veolia and the council to push for improvements, but they say that despite some efforts, clean streets in Croydon are still far from a reality.
What has the council said?
A spokesperson for Croydon Council said: “We introduced an enhanced waste collection service as part of our new contract with Veolia, which followed a robust review and consultation with residents on the service.
“As part of the improvements, residents who live in flats above shops now have a twice-weekly sack collection, along with street sweeping to keep the pavements clean.
“Waste collections are consistently being collected on time, with 99.94% from flats above shops and 99.88% of total waste collections completed on schedule in July.
“While we will always listen to suggestions from our residents, rear storage of bins is not always possible in these properties due to the lack of space to store the required two bins per flat.
“Making the borough’s streets cleaner and restoring pride is a key priority for the Executive Mayor, Jason Perry.
“We encourage residents to report concerns, and where there is evidence of illegal fly-tipping we will take swift enforcement action and seek the highest penalties against offenders.”
