Those who illegally dump rubbish in rural areas need to be hit with higher fines and longer prison sentences, measures which could end Scotland's "fly-tipping shame once and for all'.
That’s the message from Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) and Keep Scotland Beautiful today as the Scottish government consults on its litter and fly-tipping strategy which closes this week.
The organisations are also calling for support for the victims of fly-tipping, including farmers and other landowners to help cover the costs of cleaning up the mess, which often includes hazardous waste.
Currently farmers and landowners may be issued with a warning notice to remove hazardous fly-tipped waste within 7 days at their own expense despite being the victim of a crime.
New legislation must also be introduced. The proposed timeline from the government needs to "move more urgently" to deal with the most immediate concerns and enable practical initiatives to be put in place.
Relevant organisations and public bodies should work together on a central fly-tipping database to show the full extent of the problem across Scotland.
Many incidents of fly-tipping are currently not reported and instead the victims just quietly clean it up, according to SLE and Keep Scotland Beautiful.
And a campaign should be created to educate the public about how to legally get rid of their unwanted waste and how to spot unscrupulous, illegal ‘waste removers’.
Simon Ovenden, policy adviser at SLE said: “The tidal wave of builders’ rubbish, household junk and toxic waste engulfing our beautiful countryside must be stopped.
"We believe greater public education regarding the true impact of fly-tipping is needed as well as tougher prison sentences, significantly higher fines, scrapping the offender’s vehicle and making the polluter pay for the clean-up."
Keep Scotland Beautiful’s CEO, Barry Fisher said that the impacts of fly-tipping on farmers, landowners, and the environment were 'wide ranging'.
"The litter and fly-tipping strategy for Scotland is a step forward towards tackling some of the issues which impact us all, but sadly much more needs to be done.
“Enforcement is a key part of the solution to the criminal activity leading to our fly-tipping problem, alongside provision and good access to waste disposal facilities, education initiatives and campaigns.
"We all need to do much more to tackle this waste disposal crisis.”
