Redbridge Council's Clean and Green Committee has prioritised street cleanliness and tackling fly-tipping as key areas for its upcoming work plan, alongside a focus on enhancing green spaces and biodiversity. The decisions were made during a meeting on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, where councillors discussed potential areas of focus for the 2026-27 year.

While fly-tipping is acknowledged as a persistent national issue, Councillor Tony Ralph, Interim Director of Environment, stated that Redbridge is very clean on a whole compared to other London boroughs, though improvements can be made. He explained that a significant challenge is the speed at which fly-tipped waste can return, noting, as quick as the service removes the fly tipping, it can return quite quickly. Jo Blackman, Cabinet Member for Environment and Neighbourhoods, added that it is a widespread issue, particularly where you've got transient populations as well.

To combat this, the council is adopting a multi-faceted approach. Jo Blackman emphasised that engagement and education with residents, alongside enforcement, are key to tackling the issue. The council plans to work with local schools and businesses and residents to reduce waste at source. Engagement officers are actively involved, visiting schools to talk to them about the value of recycling and you know not dropping litter etc.

In terms of green spaces and biodiversity, the council has committed to creating four new pocket parks and planting a thousand highway trees. Furthermore, they have secured funding from the GLA to plant 20,000 trees, which will more likely be in green spaces. The engagement team also supports residents through community gardening initiatives and a pollinator pathway scheme where streets residents can get together and opt out of the pesticide spraying regime.

Councillor Monika Patel raised concerns about fly-tipping and green waste collection in her ward, suggesting increased CCTV for enforcement. Councillor Adam Joiner questioned the challenges in tackling fly-tipping.

The Clean and Green app has been identified as a tool that has transformed the speed at which we as Council are able to clean things up, according to Councillor Guy Mansfield Williams. He shared an example where a report of littering was cleared and confirmed via the app the following day, a response time previously unattainable. Further measurement of the app's impact is planned.

More details on the committee's discussions and plans can be found in the Public reports pack for the meeting.