Maria MacAulay SNP

Traditional incidents of fly-tipping remain static, but tonnage of waste removed from West Lothian streets increases.
👉 there has been no increase in ‘traditional’ types of fly-tipping incidents over the past three years. 'Traditional' being household waste that residents take to CRCs.
👉 evidence does not support a direct link between the Community Recycling Centre booking system and increased levels of fly-tipping
👉 Instead, illegal disposal practices, the use of unlicensed waste carriers and irresponsible waste disposal behaviour remain the primary causes of the problem. Commercial companies are legally required to pay to dispose of their waste at commercial recycling centres. Some avoid these charges by fly-tipping.
👉 Incidents of commercial fly-tipping and other factors are included as part of the council’s overall data collection.
👉 When community litter picks take place, bags of waste are left on paths at litter bins for the council to collect. This is also recorded as fly-tipping
👉A significant amount of waste removed from illegal encampments
👉Improved reporting mechanisms, increased public awareness and enhanced detection through CCTV have also helped identify and remove more waste, contributing to higher recorded tonnage figures.

West Lothian Council is strengthening its efforts to tackle fly-tipping across the county through a combination of enforcement, community engagement, education and investment in new technology.

A report to the Environment and Sustainability Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel (PDSP) highlights the council's ongoing work to reduce fly-tipping and protect local communities from the environmental and financial impact of illegally dumped waste. The report outlines an intelligence-led approach that combines prevention, improved reporting, targeted enforcement and partnership working to address the issue.

Fly-tipping remains a significant challenge for all councils, affecting communities, damaging the environment and placing pressure on public resources.
Data highlights that more waste is being removed from West Lothian’s communities now than over the past few years, but that there has been no increase in ‘traditional’ types of fly-tipping incidents over the past three years. 'Traditional' being household waste that residents take to CRCs.

Instead, illegal disposal practices, the use of unlicensed waste carriers and irresponsible waste disposal behaviour remain the primary causes of the problem. Commercial companies are legally required to pay to dispose of their waste at commercial recycling centres. Some avoid these charges by fly-tipping.

The report also notes that evidence does not support a direct link between the Community Recycling Centre booking system and increased levels of fly-tipping.

Incidents of commercial fly-tipping and other factors are included as part of the council’s overall data collection.

• When community litter picks take place, bags of waste are left on paths at litter bins for the council to collect. This is also recorded as fly-tipping. Therefore, given West Lothian’s strong record of community clean ups, this has a significant impact on the data. There was also a longer Spring Clean programme this year, so the amount of community clean ups and waste removed was greater than in previous years.

• A significant amount of waste removed from illegal encampments

• Improved reporting mechanisms, increased public awareness and enhanced detection through CCTV have also helped identify and remove more waste, contributing to higher recorded tonnage figures.

The report shows, growing community participation and stronger enforcement outcomes over the last three years, helping the council identify offenders and respond more effectively to incidents. Fixed Penalty Notices of up to £500 can be issued where there is evidence of fly-tipping, with prosecution considered for serious or repeat offences. Since January of this year, nearly £10,000 has been recovered through Fixed Penalty Notices.

The council's dedicated enforcement team investigates all reported incidents, working alongside operational teams to ensure waste is removed quickly from public land. Most reported fly-tipping on public land is cleared within three working days in town centres and within five working days in residential and rural areas. The removal of fly tipping from private land is the responsibility of the landowner.

West Lothian Council will continue to build on its current programme through further investment in CCTV infrastructure, ongoing support for community-led initiatives and continued partnership working with organisations including Police Scotland, SEPA, Scottish Water and Scottish Power Renewables.

Residents can report incidents of fly-tipping through the council's website and are reminded to ensure anyone removing waste on their behalf is a licensed waste carrier.

For more on this, please see the link in the comment section below 👇

It was a pleasure to attend the Inveralmond Community High School Awards this evening and celebrate the achievements of so many talented young people.

Wonderful and inspiring speakers, fantastic musical performances, and, most importantly, celebrating the hard work and success of the pupils.

A huge congratulations to all of this year’s award winners. You should be incredibly proud of what you have achieved, and I wish you every success for the future. 👏🎶🏆

Today councillors had the opportunity to join training where we got to watch a film from National Emergency Briefing. Highly recommend watching as it’s a very balanced report. Thanks to Cllr Pattle for requesting this.

If you are interested do check out the page below, if you belong to a group get in touch with the https://www.nebriefing.org/ to organise your own group viewings.

https://www.facebook.com/share/19pwhz7HZ4/?mibextid=wwXIfr

National Emergency Briefing UK's top experts mount official briefing for MPs & leaders on the latest science to galvanise action on climate & nature crisis.

Find a screening of the new film near you: https://www.nebriefing.org/screening-map

Mental health support should be there when people need it most.

24/7 Mental Health Triage Cars, already operating in Glasgow, Inverness and Dundee, will be rolled out to every region in Scotland.

Today we weeded the soil on the developing garden at the station. Plans to build a rockery were delayed as the rocks were out of stock. However, the first delivery is arriving next week so the garden will start progressing again.