One in 3,000 fly-tippers face prosecution
Scotland is losing the battle against flytipping, with just 43 cases out of 125,000 reported incidents being referred to the Procurator Fiscal.
There were 126,344 incidents of fly-tipping reported to local authorities between 2016 and 2019. Only 43 cases were referred to the Procurator Fiscal or resulted in convictions.
Scotland spends at least £53 million of public money on clearing litter and flytipping each year.
Local authorities are primarily responsible for dealing with fly-tipping, with the majority of incidents handled outside of court.
Scottish Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson Rebecca Bell called for those responsible to “face the full force of the law”.
She said: “The volume of complaints about fly-tipping in recent years is staggering. Fly-tipping is a serious problem in many communities and blights beauty spots across the country.
“People are rightly disgusted to find their fields or streets used as impromptu rubbish dumps. It’s a lazy and selfish practice that harms the environment and too often dumps costs on those affected.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Fly-tipping is illegal, dangerous and unnecessary. Valuable resources which could be recycled are wasted and taxpayerfunded organisations and landowners bear the cost. The Scottish Government has provided SEPA and local authorities with the powers to fine anyone caught fly-tipping, with a minimum fine of £200 and a maximum of £40,000.”