Scott Bros
Cost-of-living crisis may further increase fly tipping incidents, say recycling experts Scott Bros
Recycling experts Scott Bros believes the cost-of-living crisis is behind an increase in fly tipping incidents on the family-run firm’s sites across Teesside.
Director Peter Scott said some householders are dumping rubbish themselves or saving money by using rogue operators who undercut properly licensed companies by failing to dispose of their waste legally or responsibly.
The company, which is based near Stockton, has seen a rise in the number of fly-tipping incidents on its land in recent months. The latest dump included an old bath, tins of paint, discarded kitchen units, rubble and scrap wood.
He said: “It’s ironic that Scott Bros is a victim of fly tipping when it recycles this type of material as part of its skip hire service. However, it is costing us time and money to clean up after those who don’t appreciate the environmental and economic harm they cause.
“The cost-of-living crisis is making the situation worse, with some householders happy to bung a man with a van a few quid to get rid of their rubbish, no questions asked.
“Meanwhile, there are also people who can’t be bothered to go to their nearest household waste and recycling centre to dispose of their rubbish responsibly.”
The latest government statistics for fly tipping found that in 2020/21, local authorities in England dealt with 1.13 million fly-tipping incidents, an increase of 16% from the 980,000 reported in 2019/20.
Just under two thirds (65%) of fly-tips in 2020/21 involved household waste, with the most common size category was the equivalent of a ‘small van load’ (34% of incidents), followed by the equivalent of a ‘car boot or less’ (26%). [i]
According to figures from Defra, last year, the North East was second only to London in recording the highest fly tipping incidents when ranked by rate per 1,000 people, with the total number of incidents rising by 27%.
Scott Bros director Bob Borthwick urged householders to ensure they protect themselves from possible prosecution by using correctly registered waste carriers who hold a waste carriers licence.
He added: “We fear that the cost-of-living crisis is exacerbating the issue of fly tipping, which blights communities, poses a risk to public health, can injure or maim wildlife and leaves other people with the responsibility of cleaning it up, a cost which often falls to either the landowner or the taxpayer.
“I fear that when the next set of statistics appear on fly tipping, we will see another big rise in the number of complaints.”
Householders and businesses have a duty of care to ensure their waste is correctly disposed of and can check if a person or business has the valid licences via the Environment Agency website.
ENDS
NEWS RELEASE: ISSUED ON BEHALF OF SCOTT BROS.
For further information call Andrew Douglas 01325 363436
Photo Caption: Peter Scott with the latest example of waste fly-tipped on Scott Bros land
2 https://www.lovejunk.com/blog/trash-talk/fly-tipping-england-2021-regional-analysis/#
Editor’s Notes
Scott Bros. is one of North East England’s leading recycling businesses. Founded on Teesside in 1972, it was predominantly involved in the supply of tipper lorries and excavators to local authorities and the construction industry. However, since then the company has grown exponentially to deliver a comprehensive range of ‘circular economy’ services.
While still being heavily involved in haulage, skip and plant hire, the business has continually diversified to provide a comprehensive range of recycling services.
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