West Lothian forked out £50,000 on fly-tipping disposal at end of 2020

Staff collected nearly 73 tonnes of fly-tipped waste between 1 October and 31 December including asbestos, which alone cost £1,385 to dispose of properly.

The escalating bill was revealed at a meeting of Livingston South Local Area Committee.

Fly-tipping in the ward increased from 276 reported incidents in 2016 to 429 last year.

The report said the cost of disposal including costs for NETs team/vehicles in the last three months of the year was £49,358. county wide. For the same period in 2019 it was £40,028.

“Fly tipping is covered by the NETs teams who also carry out other non-routine works for Grounds. We are unable to split costs over specific ward areas or from the other works they carry out, but can give the yearly cost for the NETs teams with an estimate of their time spent on fly tipping which we currently estimate as 80% of their time. For 2019 the estimate was 70% of their time,” the report added.

It clarified: “The number of enquiries received between 1 October 2020 – 31 December 2020 for the Ward was 106 out of 545 enquiries for the whole of West Lothian, equating to 19.5% of fly tipping enquiries relating to Ward 4. Percentage wise this would equate to an approximate cost for the Ward of £9,625.00 for disposal of fly tipping between 1 October 2020 and 31 December 2020 including cost for staff/vehicles. (This does not include the removal of asbestos by the Councils asbestos team).”

There has been one Fixed Penalty Notice issued in Livingston South for Fly tipping for the period of 1 October 2020 – 31 December 2020. In comparison to the similar period in 2019, no Fixed Penalty Notices were issued for fly tipping or dog fouling but one was issued for littering.

Chair of the committee, and council leader, Councillor Lawrence Fitzpatrick said: “Fly-tipping is not only irresponsible, it is illegal. There is simply no excuse for fly-tipping at any time and there are severe penalties for those caught.

“Our Household Waste Service has done a remarkable job in maintaining a service for nearly the entirety of the pandemic. Recycling centres are also open seven days a week across West Lothian to help dispose of excess household waste.”

He added: “We all have a role to play and I would urge everyone to ensure they report any findings of illegally dumped waste to the council. We are lucky in West Lothian to have fantastic green spaces full of natural beauty. Why would you want to waste that by dumping your waste?”

A council spokesman said tradespeople should carry a waste carrier licence so they can properly dispose of waste. A register of valid waste carrier licences is available via the SEPA website – https://www2.sepa.org.uk/wastecarriers/

Fly-tipping, litter, or dog fouling can be reported to West Lothian Council by calling 01506 280000 or can be reported online via

https://westlothian.gov.uk/article/47561/Recycling-and-Waste

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