More than £1.4m has been spent by Caerphilly Council to remove fly-tipping since April 2015 and Plaid Cymru believes changes to waste collections, recycling rules and access to tips have worsened the situation.
A Freedom of Information request by Plaid Cymru also revealed there had been a staggering 23,914 fly-tipping incidents over the same period.
Caerphilly Plaid Cymru group leader Charlotte Bishop said: “We said at the time that changes to waste collections, recycling rules and access to tips from February 2024 risked creating unintended consequences.
“When it becomes harder, more confusing or more restrictive for people to dispose of waste legally, the impact does not disappear — it ends up dumped in lanes, woodland, riversides and communities across the county borough.
“The environmental damage caused by fly-tipping is serious. Dumped rubbish pollutes soil and waterways, harms wildlife, attracts rats and vermin, increases the risk of toxic materials leaking into the environment and destroys the natural beauty of our valleys and green spaces.”
She highlighted the fact that plastic waste and household rubbish could remain in the environment for years with contamination of streams and land. Dangerous materials dumped illegally can contaminate streams and land.
“Beyond the environmental impact, there is also the human cost. Residents in Caerphilly county are fed up seeing their communities repeatedly blighted by rubbish, black bags, furniture and waste dumped near homes and beauty spots.
“The FOI figures show rising incidents reaching more than 3,500 reported cases in 2024–25 alone, with communities such as St Martins, Ynysddu, St Cattwg , Aber Valley and Blackwood among the worst affected. Residents deserve clean streets, protected green spaces and an approach that prevents this problem getting even worse.”
The wards with the worst fly-tipping problems are in order St Martins,Ynysddu,St Cattwg, Aber Valley, Blackwood, Aberbargoed, Bargoed, New Tredegar, Penyrheol and Risca East.