Oldham’s largest social housing provider is launching a new strategy to help tackle fly-tipping and waste in its neighbourhoods to make them cleaner places to live.

First Choice Homes Oldham is pledging its support for Oldham Council’s Don’t Trash Oldham campaign by announcing a series of plans to help clear up its neighbourhoods worst affected by dumped rubbish over the next three years – kicking off with community waste collection days in Sholver this week.

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Designed to help people get rid of unwanted bulky items, the housing association has provided free access to skips and removal vans in which people can dispose of sealed bin bags of rubbish, furniture and white goods.

Bolstering this work, the housing association is cordoning off any fly-tipped waste with environmental crime scene tape and playing detective to catch those responsible for it.

Charges will start at £132.

The aim is to help drive down the amount of waste abandoned on FCHO-owned land.

The social landlord is teaming up with local partners and contractors to deliver its waste management strategy to maximise results for local people.

Engagement activities with Oldham Council teams are planned to educate customers on the issues that fly-tipping causes and help boost recycling rates.

Improvements to bin facilities at communal blocks of flats are also part of the housing provider’s plans.

Neighbourhoods where fly-tipping and waste have been identified as being a cause for concern will be prioritised, on a rolling programme between now and March 2025.

Once an area has been cleared up, the association will be asking residents to do their bit to keep it looking good.

First Choice Homes Oldham’s head of neighbourhood care, David Wrigley, said: “We want to provide great neighbourhoods for our customers and communities, and we know how important it is to customers that their neighbourhoods are looked after.

"Unfortunately fly-tipping and waste are persistent issues across many FCHO-owned areas. This rubbish is unsightly, unpleasant and a nuisance, and it can be a health and safety risk too. Dealing with it costs us more than £250K per year to deal with, too – putting pressure on our services and diverting money and resources away from other important services for our customers.

"The pilot projects that we ran last autumn to test new ways to deal with waste and gather customer feedback were invaluable learning tools for us. The findings have shaped our new strategy which will help us clean up our neighbourhoods and make them neater, tidier, more attractive and sustainable places to live – now and in the future.

“We really want to make a positive difference in our neighbourhoods and for our customers to feel proud of where they live. After we have cleared rubbish from an area, we will be working with our customers to help keep it clean.”