County team launched to combat fly tipping
Friday, 25th March 2011.
With National Spring Clean Fortnight beginning next week, a fly tipping response team for Suffolk will officially be launched on Monday.
In February, Suffolk County Council announced the closure of seven of its 18 household waste recycling centres, along with reduced opening hours on the sites which remain open, in a bid to save £2.3 million from its waste services budget.
One of the main concerns raised by Suffolk residents was that closures would lead to an increase in fly tipping.
Cllr Lisa Chambers, the council’s portfolio holder for waste, said; “Fly tipping is already a problem and unfortunately it is a minority of people who spoil things for the rest of us by polluting our beautiful countryside. Our collective challenge is to persuade them to take responsibility for their own rubbish and not expect others to clear up after them.
“However, we recognise that fly tipping may increase while people get used to going to a different site, which is why we have set up this team to keep the area around closed sites free from rubbish.
"We will be encouraging residents to report incidents of fly tipping and we will also work with our colleagues in the district and borough councils to prosecute those who break the law in this way.”
The launch of the team coincides with the 2011 launch of BBC Radio Suffolk’s ‘Don’t be a Tosser’ campaign. The county council has backed this annual anti-litter campaign for several years.
It aims to raise awareness of the litter problem and encourage the community to do something about it by taking part in local litter-picks, so all can live in a cleaner, greener county.
Suffolk’s district and borough councils are supplying pick-sticks, gloves, high-visibility tabards and rubbish bags to anyone, including schools, organising a litter-pick.
Litter collected can be taken to any of Suffolk’s household waste recycling centres. The sites are currently open from 8am until 5pm. From April 1, the new opening hours will be: April to September 9am until 5pm Monday to Saturday; October to March 9am until 4pm Monday to Saturday; all year round 10am until 4pm Sundays and bank holidays.
The sites are open every day, excluding December 25 and 26 December and January 1.
In February, Suffolk County Council announced the closure of seven of its 18 household waste recycling centres, along with reduced opening hours on the sites which remain open, in a bid to save £2.3 million from its waste services budget.
One of the main concerns raised by Suffolk residents was that closures would lead to an increase in fly tipping.
Cllr Lisa Chambers, the council’s portfolio holder for waste, said; “Fly tipping is already a problem and unfortunately it is a minority of people who spoil things for the rest of us by polluting our beautiful countryside. Our collective challenge is to persuade them to take responsibility for their own rubbish and not expect others to clear up after them.
“However, we recognise that fly tipping may increase while people get used to going to a different site, which is why we have set up this team to keep the area around closed sites free from rubbish.
"We will be encouraging residents to report incidents of fly tipping and we will also work with our colleagues in the district and borough councils to prosecute those who break the law in this way.”
The launch of the team coincides with the 2011 launch of BBC Radio Suffolk’s ‘Don’t be a Tosser’ campaign. The county council has backed this annual anti-litter campaign for several years.
It aims to raise awareness of the litter problem and encourage the community to do something about it by taking part in local litter-picks, so all can live in a cleaner, greener county.
Suffolk’s district and borough councils are supplying pick-sticks, gloves, high-visibility tabards and rubbish bags to anyone, including schools, organising a litter-pick.
Litter collected can be taken to any of Suffolk’s household waste recycling centres. The sites are currently open from 8am until 5pm. From April 1, the new opening hours will be: April to September 9am until 5pm Monday to Saturday; October to March 9am until 4pm Monday to Saturday; all year round 10am until 4pm Sundays and bank holidays.
The sites are open every day, excluding December 25 and 26 December and January 1.
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