Linlithgow fly-tipping: Public urged to help trap rogue dumpers

A surge in fly-tipping around Linlithgow has prompted West Lothian Council to renew its calls  on the public to help trap rogue dumpers.

Andy  Johnston, NETs, Land and Countryside Manager told the town’s local area committee that the number of fly-tipping incidents had doubled on last year’s figure, with 26 incidents so far this year.

Mr Johnston told the meeting: “This is predominantly  commercial type waste, white van type, rather than domestic waste. We are working on a campaign on social media on this.”

Councillor Tom Conn and the Provost Tom Kerr  both commented on a large dump of tyres on the roadside near Bridgend. Mr Kerr said: “I hope changes we make to our bucket collection doesn’t add to the problem.”

There has also been a surge in  the number of abandoned cars in the Linlithgow area this year- with nine reported by police compared to just two last year. The council launched its fly-tipping crackdown in May.

A  spokesman said : “A common complaint that the council hears is that fly-tipping is caused by the introduction of slim bins, bulky uplift charges or not enough recycling centres. That is simply not correct. The vast majority of fly-tipping is materials that would never be placed into a household bin, picked up via a bulky uplift or taken to a council run recycling centre.

“It’s important for residents to know that they can be fined if their waste is illegally dumped, even if it is not them that physically dumped the waste.

“However, residents have a responsibility to check that their tradesperson has a valid waste carriers licence in the first instance. If they don’t have a waste carriers licence residents should ask themselves where their waste is going to end up?”

NETs, Land and Countryside Services are responsible for parks, park improvements, recreation areas, open spaces and sports grounds maintenance. Its teams also inspect and maintain children’s play equipment and administer the garden maintenance scheme and the annual gardens competition.