Police have been forced to stand guard at illegal fly-tipping sites as Scotland is swamped by a rising tide of rubbish.
There are growing calls for councils to re-open official dumps.
A combination of extra household waste during lockdown and closed local dumps has sparked a dangerous fly-tipping crisis across the country.
We have uncovered overflowing illegal fly-tipping sites – with a police van posted at one location to thwart the disgusting practice.
The Scottish Government is facing furious calls to re-open tips to deal with hundreds of tons of waste, currently rotting in laybys, country lanes and even city streets.
The Government is now in talks with local authority body COSLA on how to re-open sites with a regime of social distancing in place.
But it has been urged to move faster to counter a growing health and environmental health crisis caused by fly-tippers.
Pressure mounted on Scotland to follow the lead of the rest of the UK yesterday when Environment Secretary George Eustice confirmed that taking rubbish to official dumps was “essential travel” – along with shopping, exercise and medical need.
Pictures from up and down Scotland show how louts are showing contempt for the countryside by tipping black bags, broken tellies and fridges in country lanes.
Dumpers faced with closed recycling centres have also been leaving their waste at the gates, sparking potential health risks, including infestations of rats reported in some communities.
Security group VPS has warned that rat infestation could bring a host of other problems for communities still dealing with lockdown.
Scottish Tory health spokesman Miles Briggs urged the Scottish Government to consider the re-opening of tips.
He said: “It’s clear households across Scotland have significant amounts of waste and recycling built up over the lockdown.
“After six weeks of closed local dumps and greater levels of household waste, we are now seeing a perfect storm which is driving a fly-tipping surge.
This week the UK Government outlined how recycling centres in England can reopen with social distancing measures in place.
“It is clear that we need to see progress to safely lift the restrictions on recycling centres in Scotland and for SNP Ministers to outline how this can be achieved as soon as is safely possible.”
Since the lockdown, more than half of the nation’s 32 local authorities have cut waste collections – while official council-run recycling centres have closed.
Fly-tipping reporting website ClearWaste.com has reported a rise of 83 per cent in cases. No part of Scotland has been spared the increase.
An area between Harthill and Fauldhouse in West Lothian has turned into a huge eyesore after scores of people set up an illegal tip, which police have been forced to guard.
In Cumbernauld, builders supplies, ironing boards, children’s toys and a sink were dumped at a roadside. In Cousland, Midlothian, a couch was thrown out of a van to a roadside.
Many quiet roads in Cambuslang, near Glasgow, have been heaped with rubbish and a burn has been blocked. In Musselburgh a huge pile of waste was set alight, needing an emergency response.
This week the Scottish Environment Agency launched a new campaign vowing to be “uncompromising” on offenders.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We understand how unacceptable fly-tipping is at any time but also some of the factors contributing to that. We will continue to consider what further action we can take.”
A joint statement from NFU Scotland, Scottish Land and Estates, Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime, Keep Scotland Beautiful and Zero Waste Scotland urged people to act responsibly.
They said: “Keeping items on your own property for a few weeks is better than taking part in a criminal act that could have longer term consequences, not to mention a fine of up to £40,000.”
Zero Waste Scotland, SEPA, the convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Scottish Government have launched a campaign to raise awareness of changes to local waste collections.
The Scottish Government said it continued to work closely with COSLA, local authorities and other partners to sustain waste and recycling services.
Scottish Lib Dem rural Affairs brief Mike Rumbles MSP said: “We’ve seen evidence of waste building up and sites where fly-tipping is taking place.
"That’s both disgusting and unhygienic.”
