There is ‘no excuse’ for people to fly-tip their waste while refuse centres are closed during the coronavirus lockdown, Suffolk council bosses say.
Several instances of rubbish on Suffolk’s roadsides have been reported in the last few weeks, with all rubbish tips in the county currently closed due to government guidelines.
While it is acknowledged households will build up more waste while people are stuck at home, community leaders are urging residents to continue using their bins as normal until the lockdown is lifted.
James Mallinder, East Suffolk Council’s cabinet member for the environment, conceded “things are a little different at the moment” but warned clearing up flytipping would eventually come out of taxpayers’ pocket.
He said: “We must again ask that residents do not resort to fly-tipping after seeing an increase since garden waste collections were temporarily suspended.
“It is unacceptable, unpleasant and unnecessary, and there is no excuse for it, even in these uncertain times.
MORE: Join our Facebook group for updates on coronavirus in Suffolk“Not only is fly-tipped waste costly to the taxpayer, it makes it harder for us to focus on delivering the core refuse service that households depend on while in lockdown.
“Households are likely to produce more waste during the lockdown. To help our bin crews, we ask that everyone puts their bins out no later than 6am on the day of collection.
“Our bin crews are working under very challenging circumstances, but the public support they receive when doing their rounds has not gone unnoticed.
“Thank you for every single ‘thank you’ and compliment – it is highly appreciated by all the crew.”
A spokesman for Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils added: “Our crews are working extremely hard during this emergency, collecting medical, general rubbish and recycling waste from over 80,000 households across our districts every week.
“We are seeing an increasing amount of waste as a result of people being at home. Just a couple of extra bags per household would mean an additional 160,000 bags for us, putting further strain on our collections.
“That’s why we’re asking residents to try to reduce their waste or store their clean, dry recycling instead to help ease the pressure on our crews and the waste system at this time.”
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