Falkirk Council: District now a 'fly-tippers' paradise' say Labour

Piles of rubbish appeared last Thursday evening on a road off the B8022 near Slamannan. A passer-by, who did not want to be named, said they were concerned that the rubbish being dumped is causing a road safety issue.

The leader of Falkirk Council’s Labour group said the incident showed the area was becoming “a fly-tipper’s paradise” and warned that similar scenes will become more common after a decision to scrap a council team who investigate illegal dumping.

A spokesperson for Falkirk Council confirmed that a supervisor had been called to the incident out of hours and subsequently followed it up with the street cleansing team.

They added: “The road has been reopened and it is our understanding some debris was moved in a safe manner to allow for the continued use of the road in the meantime. We intend to have the road swept due to the level of dirt left on the road. This request has been passed to the relevant team.

“Fly-tipping is both dangerous and illegal.”

Councillor Anne Hannah, the leader of the Labour Group, said the incident has reinforced her belief that Falkirk Council should not be getting rid of its environment enforcement officers, who investigate fly tipping complaints. The team will be disbanded in the summer following a vote at a meeting of Falkirk Council’s executive in December.

At the same meeting, councillors also voted to agree to the reintroduction of a charge for all bulky uplifts and to introduce a £25 charge for collecting brown bins.

Mrs Hannah said: “This fly tipping in the Braes is no surprise to us, following the waste services cuts voted through by the SNP administration, with the support of the Conservatives, at the executive meeting in December 2022. The vote introduced charges for special uplifts and charges for brown bin uplifts – guaranteed to encourage fly tipping.

“Changes at the recycling centres have resulted in long queues and delays at Roughmute and, to a lesser extent Kinneil Kerse. If people are giving up and disposing of waste by fly-tipping they know that the council has agreed to remove the environmental enforcement team, whose primary role was to investigate fly tipping and littering offences and to issue fixed penalty notices where evidence allows.

“The Falkirk area is now a fly-tippers’ paradise, and we can expect more scenes like this one.”

Councillor Iain Sinclair, SNP portfolio holder for climate change, commented: “Fly-tipping is damaging to our communities and our environment. It is caused by irresponsible individuals, who think they are above the law, who never have and never will use the appropriate means to dispose of waste.

“Recent changes made to waste services in Falkirk district are similar to those made across Scotland where statistics suggest very little or no increase in incidents.

“Far from being complacent on these issues, our teams address incidents of fly tipping quickly following reports and I thank them for their continued hard work. Falkirk Council will continue to carry out its role in addressing the needs of our communities and in challenging the reckless behaviour of individuals.”