Scheme launched to cut the cost of fly-tipping
A scheme has been launched to cut the rising cost of fly-tipping for Wigan taxpayers.
Recorded incidents of fly-tipping in Wigan remain high.
The taxpayer ends up with the bill and clearing the waste has cost Wigan Council 148,193.
Today the Metro welcomed a new scheme that might just help.
National Share-A-Skip Week is a community based skip-sharing scheme aimed at decreasing the amount of fly-tipping in local areas.
The campaign is the brainchild of skip hire expert Mark Attwood, who said: "The objective of National Share-A-Skip Week is to prevent fly-tipping, reduce waste to landfill and save people money.
"Because of the credit crunch, people are looking to dispose of their waste in irresponsible and sometimes illegal ways because they perceive it as being cheaper than hiring a licensed skip.
"But the increase in fly-tipping actually ends up costing our society more because it's the councils that have to clear the waste up."
A spokesman for Wigan Council said: "We welcome schemes that encourage people to dispose of waste properly and sharing a skip can help people be responsible and keep costs down.
Click next page for more ..."Wigan Council's tough stance on fly-tippers is well reported in the media. But many people who condemn environmental criminals are not altogether blameless. Residents frequently use friends and family, or man and van type businesses to get rid of their rubbish.
"Some of these firms are law abiding and have a waste carriers licence, paying the waste disposal charge at the local commercial tipping point. Others are less scrupulous and dump the waste, blighting the borough and putting people's health at risk.
"They appear cheaper than genuine waste carriers and skip companies because fly-tipping helps them avoid disposal costs. But the impact of fly-tipping hits residents in the end as removal and disposal costs are ultimately picked up by the taxpayer.
"It's worth knowing that if you have paid for the removal of your waste, the person or business who takes it away cannot use the household waste recycling centres.
"The carrier must pay for disposal. Some unscrupulous businesses ask residents to obtain permits to tip the waste at the household waste recycling centres.
"Residents then end up paying for the disposal of their waste twice-to the company and also as taxpayers.
"Some people turn a blind eye to these facts, others genuinely don't know. Often the first time they give it a thought is when an enforcement officer knocks on their door because of rubbish that's traceable back to their address has been found dumped in a local beauty spot.
"People have been convicted of fly-tipping offences – even when their rubbish has been dumped by someone else or when they have thrown away rubbish in someone else's skip.
"Check the Environment Agency's web site to make sure that the person who is transporting your waste has a carriers licence (www2.environment-agency.gov.uk/epr/search.asp), or use the council's bulky waste service."
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Weather for Wigan
Thursday 02 September 2010
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 8 C to 22 C
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Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 20 C
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