Councils face surge in flytipping

The number of flytipping reports has increased drastically due to the impact of covid 19 as recycling centres across the UK have closed down, leaving mountains of cardboard and plastic packaging to mount up outside recycling centres.

Flytipping has increased by up to 300% in some areas after a large number of local authorities have opted to close recycling sites amid the ongoing pandemic.

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Regarding the matter, Councillor Norman MacRae has commented; “While we have some sympathy with residents who may have quantities of waste building up, we must emphasise that for everyone’s safety please refrain from dumping it in public spaces. This places an unnecessary additional workload on our cleaning teams and is not acceptable at any time let alone the current coronavirus situation.”

It’s important to note here that during the coronavirus pandemic the law hasn’t changed. Fly tipping and illegal dumping of rubbish is against the law.

To make matters worse, reports have emerged which suggest some people are exploiting lockdown rules to provide illegal waste removal services from households. Again, we advise not to get involved with anything like this – it won’t only be the service provider who gets prosecuted, but also those who use the service.

We wish all of our customers good health and encourage you to stay safe. If you need any advice regarding recycling during the coronavirus pandemic please contact us