SEPA response to fly-tipping site
20 March 2018
Article: 52/1108
Officers from the Waste Crime Team of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) were in Fort William over the past week to investigate, and help address, fly-tipping at an illegal site at Mount Alexander, Camaghael.
The visits to local businesses were continued to gather information, check permits and reinforce the responsibilities and obligations that apply to anyone producing, carrying or managing waste. Information Notices will be issued to any businesses unable to provide details of how they are disposing of their waste.
A previous multi-agency week of activity spanning the end of January and beginning of February 2018, which also involved Police Scotland and Highland Council, has already been successful in raising awareness of relevant legislation and gaining some understanding of the potential origins of the waste.
Building and construction materials are among the various types of waste that have been accumulating at the illegal site in Camaghael for a considerable time. It is evident that tradesmen in the area are persistently dumping waste materials at the site to avoid paying the cost of disposal at legitimate waste management sites. This is clearly for financial gain, with complete disregard for the law and the possible environmental consequences.
Remediation work for the site is likely to be complicated given the scale of waste, the unknown nature of older deposits and the risk of it becoming unstable. SEPA has estimated the cost of removal could be as much as £50,000, depending on the types of waste involved.