Stop the Charge (Easington Liberal Democrats)

Easington Liberal Democrats <info@easingtonlibdems.org.uk>

Stop the Charge

August 11, 2010 1:07 AM

Waste Dumped in Horden Change can be for the better or for the worse, increasingly of late the worse. Take for example the bulky waste charge introduced by the then new unitary authority. It removed free access to bulky waste removal enjoyed by residents of areas such as Easington. Since its introduction, there's been a noticeable increase in fly tipping and the problems that it brings.

We, the Easington Liberal Democrats, find this most counterproductive. Not only is it unfair to ask for an additional charge for what amounts to an essential civic service in a area of rampant unemployment and high rates of council tax (with in Easington's case, being the fifth most expensive place in regards to council tax, with Sedgefield being the most expensive).

Waste in a back yard The impact of fly tipping is three fold. The first point, and by far the most noticeable, is the environmental impact. Lets face it, no one wishes to see waste dumped in their neighbourhood. Not only is it unsightly to residents but it also gives a bad impression of the area to visitors to the county, thus having a knock on affect of discouraging much needed investment in the area.

One of the other problems created by fly tipping is on the issue of health. As most know, waste is an invite to unwanted vermin and in turn to a plethora of diseases carried by them. Another issue posed by the inappropriate dumping of bulky waste is the danger to young children, not only from the breakdown of the waste in general by weather, but also by the clear danger posed by waste white goods.

Lastly, we come to the topic of cost to remove accumulated, fly tipped waste and to deal with any problems it creates. Take for example the cost for clean up if an article of bulky waste from a site where it has been obstructing one of the roadways. This cost can be almost double what the cost would have been just to collect it from the house it came from, not to mention if it had been set alight. This would be considerably higher, given the required attendance of the fire services.

Increasingly we are finding that unscrupulous rubbish management "companies" in the area are fly tipping too, unbeknown to the end customer.

Given the arguments above, it seems most illogical for this charge to stand. It has been one of the most backward looking charges this area has seen and one that has led to one sharpest increases in fly tipping in decades.

If you feel like we do and would like to see this charge repealed, please take a moment from your day to fill in our petition to see this charge scrapped. You can do this by clicking the link on the right bar.