Coronavirus in Edinburgh: Fly-tippers putting extra strain on council

Mattress, microwave and vacuum machine among rubbish dumped

Feckless fly-tippers have been slammed for draining public services already over-stretched in the fight against coronavirus.

Photos emerged of rubbish including mattresses, a microwave and vacuum cleaner in Durar Drive, Brum Brae.

Tory member for Drum Brae/Gyle, Cllr Mark Brown, reported seeing a “myriad” of rubbish dumped in the area over recent weeks.

Some of the rubbish dumped in Drum Brae

“I think the key message is that the council, like any other business or organisation, will have people being struck down by illness generally and also, I would imagine, some related to coronavirus.

“We all talk about working together and all that but common sense sometimes is found wanting.

“I’m no scientist or health guru but I can’t imagine it’s generally good for public health to have these things lying around in terms of disease and bugs.”

Cllr Brown recalled a case where yobs dragged a dumped sofa into a communal stair last year and set fire to it as proof of the risks linked to flytipping.

“It’s unacceptable,” added Cllr Brown. “These are times where public services are further strained than before because of cuts put on local authorities by Holyrood.

“They’re already on the back foot and the system now needs people to pull together, not to waste resources which are stretched, and to take pride in their communities.”

Cllr Brown said at least some of the waste must be from down to fly-tippers from elsewhere as there were too few homes in the area to produce so much rubbish.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “We are working extremely hard to continue delivering core services during this challenging time, and it’s essential that we are able to prioritise resources to do so. Fly-tipping and litter-dropping under any circumstances is irresponsible but to do so at the moment is particularly selfish and will ultimately negatively impact on all of us who live here.

“We are urging people to take care of their surroundings by taking any litter and dog waste home or use the nearest empty bin, as well as keeping bulky items for when services have resumed, and to follow advice when disposing of potentially contaminated waste. By doing so we will all help protect the health and wellbeing of workers and residents, while continuing to serve the people of Edinburgh.”