Fly-tipping rise – MP urges Moray Council to rethink bin collections
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MORAY'S MP is urging the council to rethink its lockdown rubbish collection policy after a rise in fly-tipping.
Moray Council temporarily halted the collection of recycled waste and closed all local recycling centres on March 30 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It said the move would have the least impact on householders and council waste operations, and allow it to focus on delivering critical services.
While refuse collectors continue to pick up general and garden waste, local people have raised concerns about recyclables being left uncollected.
Moray Conservative MP Douglas Ross has now asked the council to re-evaluate this decision – saying fly-tipping is becoming a significant issue across the region and concerns have been raised with him by local residents.
He believes some collections could be re-introduced while still prioritising the safety of council employees.
Mr Ross said: "My top concern is, of course, the health and safety of everyone and, in this case, we have to consider the wellbeing of the refuse collectors who are essential workers.
"However, Moray Council has managed to come up with a plan whereby these employees can safely collect the waste from our green and brown bins whilst practising social distancing, so I’m asking the council to consider a similar plan for the collection of our recycled goods.
"I’m concerned by the increased incidents of fly-tipping being highlighted to me already, with the bins in most lay-bys across Moray now full of household waste and other junk dumped alongside them as domestic bins are now full.
"I’m sure that there is a way in which we could collect the recycled goods safely whilst adhering to all the COVID-19 regulations, keeping our refuse collectors safe to continue their vital role."
He added: "These are difficult and unprecedented times, but we also have to think about other aspects of our environment and, whilst I understand the initial move by Moray Council, I think the time has come to revisit that decision and look at what can be done to get our recycling services back up and running."
