fly tipping in the uK

DD2 and her family live very close to the border between two local authorities. The tip for one of them is practically at the bottom of their street, the other a 15 minute drive away. They're only allowed to use the one for their authority. Guess which one it is?

I know it doesn't, but it does explain a lot of fly-tipping.

MOnica is correct. That is now the system at our local recycling plant. There is an ever-growing list of charges for your rubbish. When my eldest daughter lived in the outskirts of Leeds many years ago, about every 3 months the council used to put a few skips on a patch of waste ground for the local community to use. There was no cost to the residents and no fly-tipping either. Whatever the council paid for the skips must have been much less than clearing fly-tipping, I should imagine. I always thought it was a great idea.

We walk regularly along a downland river. We park on a flood plain and there is a sequence of gullies to drain the water away into the river. They are sparkling clear and used hugely by all sorts of wildlife. Near the car park is one which is used extensively by coots and moorhens with dear little chicks in the spring. Last year some idiot dumped a load of builders rubbish into the gully and completely ruined the water quality and habitat.

Fly tipping is a thoughtless and destructive thing.

Paying for the privilege is right as the council has to deal with hazardous substances in order to protect our soil and environment.

MOnica is correct.

I’m not saying she isn’t. Just that the system makes no sense.

This week Panorama covered this topic. I wrote to the guy featured in the programme with a couple of suggestions, but no reply.