Fly-tipping fears as bulk uplift charge introduced in Glasgow
There are concerns a fee for bulk uplift in Glasgow will lead to more people dumping their unwanted items.
Environmental groups and opposition councillors say they are worried about a potential increase in fly-tipping in Glasgow.
It comes as residents are told to pay ÂŁ35 to have up to ten standard items collected.
Each electrical item will also cost ÂŁ35.
'Financial barrier'
Conservative Councillor Thomas Kerr has written to the SNP convener for sustainability, claiming that the move will “do nothing to alleviate Glasgow’s rubbish problem” but instead make it worse by placing a financial barrier on people using the service.
He said: “The fly tipping situation is terrible. I am getting constant emails and tagged in images all over the city of overflowing bins and mattresses lying about.
“The city is an absolute tip and for some reason the city administration has not been able to get a hold of it at all. Despite promises that they were going to come down hard on fly tippers and put more people into the neighbourhoods department.
“These measures have not worked and instead it has just exasperated the problem and this charge I think is going to make it even worse.
“If you stay in a flat in the city and you don’t have a garden, where are you supposed to put stuff while waiting for the bulk uplift coming to get picked up. It could take weeks before a bulk uplift comes around.
“The council is encouraging people to use public transport now they are telling people that if you’ve got a car just take it to the dump yourself. What if you don’t have a car or can’t afford it? You are then forced to use this service."
Environmental impact
Marcus McNeilly, from Glasgow recycling group Total Homes, is worried about the environmental impact of bulky items being left lying for long periods of time.
He said: "Once they are sitting out in the wet, the cold, even the heat, it really damages all chances of repairing the items, so we don't think fly-tipping should happen at any time,
"Emissions are released into the atmosphere, and that CO2 is not good for the atmosphere.
A council spokesman said: “Charging to collect bulky items is standard practice in almost every other local authority area in Scotland. The decision to introduce charging for bulky items was democratically agreed at a full council meeting in February 2020.
“The vast majority of people will always dispose of their waste responsibly and we are trying to encourage greater re-use and recycling of unwanted items.
“Reducing the amount of waste we produce as a city is good for the environment as it helps reduce our carbon footprint, which is essential if we are to tackle the climate emergency.
“People can dispose of their large, unwanted items at our waste centres free of charge while the vast majority of the city’s housing associations now also collect large items of behalf of their tenants.
“The feedback we’ve had from other councils is that they saw no significant change to fly-tipping rates after introducing charging for bulk uplifts.
“We will continue monitor fly-tipping around the city and will take enforcement action where ever possible.”
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