A councillor has urged Lincolnshire County Council to abandon its planned booking system for household waste recycling centres, warning that restricted access could encourage more fly-tipping.
Coun Anthony Casson made the call after a complaint about a fly-tip on Old Fen Dyke Road in his Weston Hills ward. The county council is due to introduce a system in November requiring members of the public to book appointments at its Waste Recycling Centres, including the site on West Marsh Road in Spalding.
Call for longer opening hours
There has been opposition to the planned arrangement, with concerns that people who cannot secure an appointment could dump waste instead. Lincolnshire County Council has said adding an extra opening day would cost £1.6 million and would not resolve queuing problems at some sites.
Councillor Casson believes longer opening hours would be a more effective response than compulsory bookings.
“We’ve fly-tips in Old Fen Dyke Road several times in the past,” he said.
“Having the booking system at the tips will not help.”
“What will help is opening them for longer.”
He questioned how residents would respond when a site was closed or no appointment was available, saying some could decide to leave their waste elsewhere rather than take it home.
“How many times do you go past and it is closed?”
“Those who do go to the tip on the days it is closed or if they can’t get an appointment, do they think that they will just unload their car to load it back up again?”
“No, they will fly-tip it somewhere.”
Councillor Casson also praised the Spalding recycling centre and its staff but warned that compulsory appointments could deter people from using it.
“The tip is a good facility with a really good team there, but people are going to use it less if they have to book.”
Private land issue
As part of his responsibilities on South Holland District Council, Councillor Casson oversees environmental health, including the team dealing with fly-tipping clearances and prosecutions.
He said the latest waste on Old Fen Dyke Road was on land owned by a drainage board. Because the land was private, the authority was unable to clear the fly-tip, although the landowner had been contacted.
The dispute also follows criticism from Lincolnshire County Council executive member Natalie Oliver, who has previously blamed district councils for rising levels of fly-tipping and argued that too few prosecutions were being carried out.
Councillor Casson said prosecutions depended on obtaining evidence.
“It’s difficult as you have to get the evidence.”
“If they don’t leave any you can’t prosecute.”