Closed dumps frustrate recyclers

Several people who were attempting to recycle Christmas rubbish such as wrapping paper have been turned away from waste disposal sites.

With North Lanarkshire Council highlighting the annual spike in fly tipping, several people trying to do the right thing have found their local recycling depots closed as they are overwhelmed with the amount of incoming rubbish.

William Baillie contacted the News and Chronicle to say he was “disgusted” by the “shambles” which had developed since Christmas.

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He added: “I rolled up to the Wardpark depot on Wednesday, December 28, looking to offload bags of Christmas rubbish and cardboard boxes etc only to find a sign which said it was closed and to use the Westfield depot instead. So me and other residents all travelled in a convoy to Westfield, to find a very stressed man closing the gates saying that there were no more skips available, which meant that everyone had to about turn and head home again with smelly bags of rubbish.

“What is going on? It’s not as if we don’t pay through the nose in council tax.

“It’s this kind of shortsightedness and penny-pinching that encourages fly tipping and costs more in the long run.

“I am thoroughly disgusted. Having moved from Glasgow to Cumbernauld I thought NLC had their house in order. It seems not to be the case.”

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A council spokesman said: “All our recycling centres experience a high volume of items being taken over the Christmas and New Year period.

“Centres may need to temporarily close to allow the clearance of existing items. They will then reopen as soon as this has been completed.”

Councillor Michael McPake, environmental services convener for North Lanarkshire Council, said last week: “We all have extra rubbish at Christmas and New Year and we are asking our residents to make full use of their domestic bins.

Most people who have extra items to dispose do so responsibly but a small minority continue to dump waste which impacts on the local environment.

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“This is illegal and anyone caught faces a £200 fixed penalty notice.

“It also causes safety and public health problems in our communities, so I would appeal to anyone who sees fly tipping to report it to us immediately on 01698 403100 with as many details as possible on the location, person or vehicles involved.”