Murdo Fraser MSP has called for better collation of fly-tipping data in order to give a “clearer picture” of the issue.
This follows the Scottish Conservative politician receiving answers to two Written Parliamentary Questions – one which asked why the ‘Dumb Dumpers’ reporting service stopped operating from April 1, and another which asked who to contact about incidents of fly-tipping in the wake of this announcement.
Mr Fraser’s Members’ Bill on Fly-tipping is currently being finalised prior to coming before the Scottish Parliament. The Bill aims to improve current laws around fly-tipping by ensuring there are better reporting mechanisms in place along with increased sanctions.
In her response to Mr Fraser’s written questions, Lorna Slater, Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, stated that it was decided to stop the use of the Dumb Dumpers reporting service in order to ‘streamline and reduce’ confusion about the public reporting of fly-tipping. She also said that members of the public should report fly-tipping incidents directly to the relevant local authority following the demise of Dumb Dumpers.
Commenting, Mr Fraser said: “Given the number of fly-tipping cases - with more than 60,000 instances being recorded in Scotland last year – I would like to see a system where this data is better consolidated in one place and handled appropriately. I believe that there is a case for existing reporting mechanisms and collation of the data received to be looked at, with a view to streamlining and strengthening those procedures.”
Mr Fraser continued: “In her answer to my Written Question, Lorna Slater said that it is best to report fly-tipping incidents to the relevant local authority. Most people do this at the moment but we also have some fly-tipping incidents being reported to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Police Scotland. There are still too many agencies involved here.
“If we had greater clarity around the collection of data, we would get a clearer picture in respect of the incidence of fly-tipping. I would also like to see the data published, regularly reported on and scrutinised as appropriate by the Scottish Parliament. To that end, my proposed Members’ Bill on Fly-tipping will create a duty on Scottish Ministers, requiring that data to be collected in one place.
“This Bill is not party-political, but a common-sense piece of legislation that will strengthen the law and toughen the punishments so that this scourge in our communities can be tackled effectively.”
