Sofas and furniture has been dumped in an Aberdeen supermarket car park in yet another fly-tipping incident.
Residents have raised concerns fly-tipping has been increasing ever since the closure of the area’s recycling centre in June 2020.
Ronald Miller has repeatedly reported problems in the area since the plant was closed by Aberdeen City Council due to low footfall.
Last week, a mountain of waste was spotted near the recycling bins at Dyce’s Asda.
The rubbish included large sofas and wooden furniture that could have been recycled.
Rubbish blocked others from recycling
Mr Miller, who has lived in nearby Newmachar for 13 years, said the repeated fly-tipping has become common in the area.
“I tried to go and put my recycling through but I wasn’t able to get near it because there was so much rubbish in the way.
“Everyone was just walking by and ignoring it – including Asda employees.”
The supermarket said the rubbish was removed within 48 hours.
Problem worse after Dyce closure
Mr Miller believes the problem has only been getting worse recently.
“Ever since they closed down the recycling centre around the corner, it has been a consistent problem”, the retired aircraft engineer said.
“It is a waste of time complaining to the council, they just say they can’t respond to me because of cutbacks.”
More recycling centre controversy
Recycling centres in Aberdeenshire have been the subject of controversy after a booking system that was implemented during the pandemic has remained in place.
Many residents who struggle to access the internet have found it difficult to manage.
Aberdeen City only requires booking for larger vehicles but cars must bring proof of address if they want to use the facilities.
In December, the council rejected claims the policy is “discriminatory” and said it was needed so that each authority can be confident that it is managing the waste produced by its own residents.
What does Aberdeen City Council say?
Regarding the latest instance of fly-tipping in Dyce, Aberdeen City Council have said they are “disappointed” people have “chosen to dispose of their waste illegally”.
A spokesman said: “We are aware of an incident of flytipping at Asda in Dyce and this has now been cleared.
“We offer a bulky uplift service and have four Household Waste & Recycling Centres including two in the north of the city at Bucksburn and Bridge of Don, which are free to use, open seven days per week.”
They also warn that householders should ensure people carrying out work dispose of waste responsibly by providing a Waste Carrier’s Registration.
However, due to budget cuts, funding to combat fly-tipping has been slashed.
It was announced in the budget today that the environmental “hit squad” formed to tackle fly-tipping will be abandoned to recoup £200,000.
The council is now encouraging people to report fly-tipping on its website.
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