Skeleton and false leg among illegally dumped items

A FALSE leg and a model skeleton are among items dumped illegally, say council bosses who have declared war on flytippers.

A model skeleton was among items to have been dumped illegally. Picture: Wiki Commons

An online reporting system in Perth and Kinross is being launched to tackle the problem by council chiefs.

A spokeswoman said: “We take education and awareness raising as a key focus for preventing flytipping.

“Our waste services regularly give talks to schools about littering, in which fly tipping is covered, discussing the environmental impact of waste ending up in the wrong place and natural resources lost when things are not reused or recycled.

“Community talks are also undertaken across the area focussing not only on the environmental effect of fly tipping but also the social and economic impacts.

“While the majority of fly tipping comprises standard household waste, our waste collection teams do from time to time encounter unusual items, such as a prosthetic leg and a model skeleton.”

“As part of the council’s litter action plan it is intended that web-based recording tools will be explored, to help build up a local picture of ‘hot spots’ and target our resources accordingly to them.”

It is not know exactly how much fly tipping costs the Perth and Kinross public, as the council uses its street sweeping budget – which is £3 million for this year - to deal with it.

Environment committee convener, Alan Grant, said: “Fly tipping can easily be avoided, helping to protect our environment and reduce nuisance to our communities from waste dumped in the wrong place.

“Our staff are continuing to work hard to push the message that there are lots of alternatives without resorting to fly tipping.

“We would always encourage residents to contact us if they need advice on how to safely dispose of a wide variety of waste items.”