Fly tipping

Local authorities claim that there is no correlation between increasing charges at tips, the refusal of dump-it sites to accept any hazardous materials and the fly tipping epidemic in the British countryside.

Well I beg to differ. When the government decided that cfc’s in fridges were causing the hole in the ozone layer, and subsequently refused to accept them at the tip, I correctly predicted that the countryside would very soon be littered with them. Guess what? Massive surprise, I was right.

When it was made illegal for sole traders and small businesses to dispose of asbestos without paying a large fee, I correctly predicted that the countryside would be littered with it. Guess what?

Tins of paint, plasterboards, mattresses, tyres, whichever is the latest item that the councils try to make a charge for disposal on, will without exception, end up in the countryside.

And what happens to it from there?

They could make a modest profit, or just break even while at the same time creating employment, by allowing people to bring these items to a controlled disposal site for a reasonable fee.

But instead they either point blank refuse to accept it, or insist on charging people unreasonable amounts and as a result they then have to employ people, (like a friend of mine does) to drive round the countryside every day, at a huge cost to themselves, and collect it.

I am certain that my local council are not alone in being devoid of any common sense, but to me this appears to be a no brainer, and a scourge that could quite easily be eradicated.