Fly Tipping is nothing new but in recent months there’s been an alarming rise in the level of waste dumped in hedgerows and bushes around Salisbury.
Written by David Walker.
From oil drums and fridge freezers to furniture and
even a car petrol tank, Old Shaftesbury Drove by the racecourse has recently
become a mecca for people engaging in their dirty habits and spoiling the environment
for the rest of us. The level of rubbish left by the wayside can sometimes
determine the punishment given but it’s not unusual to see a fine up to £50,000
with even a custodial sentence. So why are people risking themselves of getting
caught performing this illegal act? Do they find it difficult to use the
facilities, or are they just plain lazy?
It’s a well-known fact that the recycling centre on
the Churchfields Industrial Estate is far from being user friendly. Indeed, Salisbury City Councillor John Baber MBE described the site as “difficult,” a sentiment which
was echoed by Councillor Sven Hocking. To be able to use the site you need to
provide proof that you are a resident of the city. This is because people have
been coming from places such as Southampton and Romsey to dispose of their
waste on the Salisbury site, which inevitably takes up more room leaving less
for residents to clear their waste.
Anyone using a van, flatbed vehicle or large trailer
needs to have a permit to use the site. If you don’t have one them you will not
be able to offload your refuse. The permits are obtained free of charge from
the council, but this does seem a waste of resources and costs by
administrators processing an application, printer ink, paper and postage!
After the last local elections, Salisbury council
undertook all the city cleaning work from Wiltshire County council and over the
past twelve months they’ve had to review a significant number of contracts when
it comes to keeping everywhere clean and tidy. Nick Daley from Bemerton Heath
never liked to see overflowing waste bins and felt as though there was a
significant drop in the number of street cleaners in the city. Whereas Craig
Chapman, a resident on Brown Street was unhappy at the amount of black refuse
bags there are left on the streets. Craig also added, “If you look at areas
such as Andover which is beautiful, I feel as there is no pride in our city”.
When those points were raised with the Council, both
Councillors Baber and Hocking were eager to point out that over the past twelve
months there has been a significant investment into the cleaning of the city;
stating that things are much better than they were twelve months ago. This
includes an extra sixty waste bins located on various streets plus new
equipment and vehicles. Street cleaners now operate seven days a week as
opposed to a previous five days, and extra clean-ups done after market days and
special events. In addition to this, a new scheme will soon be launched by the
council to educate people in waste management as well as proposed on the spot
fines for anyone seen dropping litter.
Whilst it’s clear that the council are working hard to
improve things, to make all of this happen was not done overnight and getting
the new contracts in place for all works were only finalised recently. Therefore,
we should start to see a greater improvement as time progresses. One of the
biggest concerns from people who were asked about their views on this subject was, the quantity of refuse bags left on the side of the road – especially on a
Saturday and Sunday night around the main take away establishments. Councillor
Baber stated the fast food outlets have been requested to keep the pavements
outside their establishments clear of rubbish, adding he finds it frustrating
when people leave their own refuse bags next to a waste bin which makes an area
look unsightly. As I was researching for this article, I noticed several bags
located around the town at eleven O’clock on a Thursday morning which was
hardly a short time after the takeaways had closed. However, Councillor Hocking
stated that all refuse bags are collected “on a daily basis”.
But what about someone who tries to do the right thing
when disposing of their rubbish and is let down by the system? Steve and Hazel
Linard from Netherhampton did just that after they bought a new three-piece
suite. They logged onto the council website and paid £12 to have their old
furniture taken away which they thought would quickly happen. Over three weeks
went by before someone from the council finally collected their old items off
their driveway, which by now had been subject to the elements and were looking
rather dishevelled and no longer fit for purpose.
The company now running the recycling site on
Churchfields is FCC Environment who were awarded the contract at the end of 2017. I’m told they hope to improve the usage of the site making it more user
friendly for everyone. But despite repeated requests to find out what is
actually going to be done, no-one has yet come back to me with an answer. Hopefully
if a level of investment is made at the recycling centre, then we should see a
significant improvement in its usage and a lot less fly tipping. Site
supervisor Graham who’s been working there for nearly six years says that they
already take large items such as furniture and fridges, so there should be no
reason for anyone to dump their waste illegally.
If you see an area that has been used as an illegal
dumping ground then you can report it quickly and easily to Wiltshire council
via their website, who will come and clear the offending items away. And if you
own a car which recently had a garage replace the petrol tank, then I'd like
to hear about it where I will pass on the information for further
investigation. Sadly, you will never be able to eradicate fly tipping
completely, but if we all work together then united we can make the world a
better place to live.
