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Scourge of the fly-tippers: It's really criminal



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Published Date:
25 March 2008
MEET Calderdale's litter detective.
David Dunbar, environmental health officer at Calderdale Council, hunts down the people who blight the district by fly-tipping.
Whether it is searching through rubbish to find a clue, or patrolling with the police and stopping vehicles he suspects may be dumping rubbish, he is on the case.
"The Government take this issue very seriously and Calderdale Council is taking it very seriously. We will be taking a zero-tolerance policy," he said.
When the council receives reports of fly-tipping, it is David's job to investigate.
Even a discarded piece of paperwork can prove a lead for David.
And those caught fly-tipping will not get off lightly.
Prosecuted offenders face fines of up to £50,000 and five years in prison.
David is part of a team at the environmental health department dedicated to tackling fly-tipping and littering.
He has been working in the field for seven years and is passionate about his job.
"Fly-tipping is disgusting., I don't understand why people do it," he said.
"My job is to keep the area clean. Calderdale is beautiful and people just go out and spoil it."
Litter can be dumped by businesses or householders – but in both circumstances it is a crime.
"Everybody has a duty of care to dispose of their waste safely," said David.
There are certain places that become hotspots for flytipping, to where David and his team are continually called.
He said if people see litter there, they think it is an acceptable place to dump rubbish, and a fly-tipping circle starts.
And what gets dumped ranges from mattresses, tyres and vehicle parts to chemical drums and animal carcasses.
Last year, most of the rubbish dumped was household waste, followed by domestic black bin bags, then white goods. In total, there were 456 call outs for the environmental health team.
David said it was up to Calderdale residents to help keep the district clean by reporting fly-tipping.
The sooner his team know about a problem, the sooner they can start investigating and finding the offender.
To report any incidents of fly-tipping call Calderdale Council on 01422 392373.

Courier Comment

The full article contains 371 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
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  • Last Updated: 25 March 2008 9:23 AM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Halifax
 
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Michael Macer,

25/03/2008 11:04:58
Whilst not defending the fly tippers, the council could be more accomodating when it comes to household waste disposal. Their recycling scheme is hit and miss in my area, they only take garden waste if it is in a particular coloured bag (which you have to buy separately), the tip near Dean Clough has limited opening hours as well as big queues and you are not allowed to visit the tip on foot or in a van. If any of these facts are erroneous then I apologize in advance!
2

Peter Avinou,

Elland 25/03/2008 12:00:04
Why,
Why is there only one officer chasing these people?
We should have all hands on deck to saturate the area and eliminate these wanton bespoilers!
When caught they should lose the vehicle, and pay a substantial sum for the expenses of clearing up, and any Court costs.
No pay - 6 months minimum!
One chap chasing an army? sounds about right for a Council that skimps on everything except their own interests.
3

Peter Avinou,

Elland 25/03/2008 15:28:27
JP,
We aren't talking binnable rubbish here, this is a couple of skips full on the photos?
4

Reclusive Monkey,

25/03/2008 19:27:47
This reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer is left in charge of Springfield Sanitation. People regularly whine about Council Tax in the comments, but any problem they see the solution is to throw more resources at it.

Peter, if you could read then you would see that there is a team of people dealing with flytipping, not just one officer.

This is also the same David Dunbar the Courier was lambasting just a few weeks ago for fining people for throwing their cigarette butts on the floor. Zero to hero in less than a month? David must be pleased.
5

born to run,

25/03/2008 21:20:11
the council tax is criminal
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