TWO Mendip district councillors from Frome are calling for action over flytipping, after £18,000 was spent by the district council to clean up flytipping.
Councillors Adam Boyden and Sam Phripp have put forward a motion to Mendip District Council that will be discussed on Thursday 27th of September. Their motion states that since the opening hours of household waste recycling centres were cut in April 2011, there has been an increase of flytipping that is costing the tax payer to clean up.
Their motion also states that they wish a stronger enforcement strategy for flytipping “as a matter of urgency.”
Speaking to Frome Times cllr Adam Boyden said, “I am surprised this issue has not been bought up before. Last year alone the flytipping cost £17,000, and now we are already up to £18,000.
“Flytipping is increasing, the cost to the tax payer is increasing and yet people are getting away with it because it is not being enforced.
“Since the closure of the tips, the percentage of flytipping has risen. Flytipping that involved construction materials has risen from 50 instances last year, to 157 already this year. Household waste has risen by 11 per cent, everything has gone up and recycling has reduced by 33 per cent.”
A Mendip District Council spokesperson said, “Fly tipping in Mendip currently costs about £60,000 per year.
“On current levels of expenditure, Frome flytipping will cost approximately £18,000 this year.
“The reduced opening hours of Frome and Coleford tips stems from a decision of the Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) which operates county-wide and brought no direct savings to Mendip District Council, although the efficiencies achieved by SWP indirectly benefit all partners.
“The cost of additional fly-tipping above the levels experienced before the new hours were introduced is re-imbursed to Mendip District Council by SWP.”
