Gravesham handyman catalogues flytipping to highlight waste disposal rule change (From News Shopper)
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Gravesham handyman catalogues flytipping to highlight waste disposal rule change
3:55pm Monday 11th March 2013 in News By Tim MacFarlan, Bexley and north Kent reporter
Abandoned furniture snapped in Lodge Lane, Cobham, in December last year.
A GRAVESHAM handyman has photographed a catalogue of flytipped rubbish to highlight a rule change banning him from disposing of his own household waste at a recycling centre.
Lee Hardy has snapped waste left in Nurstead Church Lane in Meopham and Lodge Lane, Church Road and Cobhambury Road in Cobham - all in the last few months.
The 54-year-old has seen bagged building rubble, other building and plumbing waste and discarded furniture left heaped by the side of the road.
The Ridgeway Avenue resident says while the "usual suspects" are allowed to get away with fly tipping across the borough, a rule change prevents him from using a van to drop off his garden waste at the Pepperhill Household Waste Recycling Centre in Station Road.
All vans and pick-ups were banned from dropping off waste at the facility as of October last year to try and cut down on businesses illegally disposing of commercial waste for free.
Mr Hardy said: "Decision-makers never think of the environmental and cost issues surrounding the amount of trips required in order to recycle that waste: two or three trips in my van versus several in my car, possibly over more than one day.
"How does household waste suddenly become business waste by transferring it to a van?"
The former industrial firefighter at GSK in Dartford says he also deals with commercial waste from the gardens of mainly elderly customers for whom he does around £3,000 worth of work a year.
Mr Hardy added: "I'm due to semi-retire this year and would like to carry on doing the handyman and gardening work, but the people making these petty decisions are putting up huge barriers making it extremely difficult for decent tax-paying residents and small local businesses."
Kent County Council declined to comment.
To report flytipping in progress, call 999 otherwise ring 0845 345 0210 or email intel.cleankent@kent.gov.uk
Visit cleankent.co.uk/flytipping for more information.
Flytipping spots
SquidMonkey says...
10:55pm Tue 12 Mar 13
The changes were bought in to stop commercial waste being bought onto household sites. And he has just admitted that he was bringing commercial waste in, which is illegal.
"The former industrial firefighter at GSK in Dartford says he also deals with commercial waste from the gardens of mainly elderly customers for whom he does around £3,000 worth of work a year." If he is being paid for this work and then disposing of the spoil for these jobs at a household site, he is clearly abusing the system and is exactly why these changes were bought into place.
"these petty decisions are putting up huge barriers making it extremely difficult for decent tax-paying residents and small local businesses." No, not for tax payers, as the sites are still accepting household waste that is paid for by our council tax. A service I am most appreciative of. But yes to small buissness' as these are the people that are breaking the law and deposting waste at sites that are meant for household waste only.
What makes matters worse is the fact there are plenty of commerical sites that will take commercial waste, and at a reasonable fee.
The fact he has the check to go to a local paper and complain, goes to show how much of a cretin the man is.