One rule for them and one for us

SIR, – The headline “Confidential document dumped in council bin” (Press and Journal, May 14) referred to the fact that Highland Council was reporting itself to the Information Commissioner’s Office for breaches of data protection after social work documents were discovered lying beside the bins adjacent to their HQ in Inverness.

The accompanying photograph showed several large commercial wheelie bins all overflowing with a significant number of bags and mixed detritus lying scattered around the bins. As this is clearly in breach of the conditions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 which the local authority (Highland Council) has a legal obligation to enforce, I presume it will report itself to itself for this misdemeanour as well. Reference to Section 47 Paragraph 2 of the act “requires waste to be stored in receptacles of a particular kind” and goes on to say the waste must be “not likely to cause a nuisance to the amenities of the locality”.

The somewhat cavalier attitude shown by Highland Council to their own waste and its storage is at odds with the rules and obligations that they expect businesses and their council taxpaying domestic residents to obey.

We are told, or more accurately threatened, that domestic and commercial bins will not be lifted if the lids are not fully closed, any refuse left on top or beside bins will not be taken and this is also an offence under litter regulations etc. One rule for them and one for us springs to mind. It might also be asked why they are not recycling their paper waste anyway. Alastair Armitstead, Morven,

Achiltibuie, Wester Ross