Cleaning up an effluent society

Madam, – I read with interest Paul Charters’ letter “Fly-Tippers should feel the full weight of the law”, (Courier, August 9).

Whilst all rightminded folk would concur with Mr Charters that we live in an effluent society in which old sofas and mattresses are often dumped up country lanes and local beauty spots, I feel it is high time councils threw their full weight behind removing the barriers which prevent many from doing their civic duty.

Yes, there are those who are downright lazy and anti-social, but there are also many who simply don’t have the physical means to take sofas and mattresses to designated council skips, and – believe me – councils are not shy in charging for the uplifting of these items.

Additionally, I’m sure many would agree that as local authorities become more and more grasping, the problem will only get worse.

It doesn’t take any great intellect to predict that when Dundee City Council follow the dubious example of Perth and Kinross and bring in a brown bin charge for next year’s collection of garden refuse the problem of flytipping will only escalate.

I hear councils bemoan the cost of clearing up fly-tipping sites but I’m sure that I’m in a growing number when I say my sympathy is wearing thin.

In recent years in Dundee, the number of general waste bin collections has halved and the brown garden refuse bin is emptied even more infrequently.

I would also wager that even when people are asked to stump up for the emptying of the brown bin the collections will not increase in frequency.

There will be no added value for paying for this service. All that will happen is that the hard pressed council tax payer will generate an extra £1 million or so for the council coffers.

Yes, Mr Charters is correct in saying fly-tipping blights our neighbourhoods and countrysides and something ought to be done.

But perhaps it is about time councils led the way by making it easier for people to dispose of their waste, and stop starving essential resources. Jamie Buchan. Grove Road, Dundee.