By Cllr Ashley Graczyk, Independent Councillor for the Sighthill/Gorgie ward.
I am singling out Gorgie/Dalry as a dumping ‘hotspot’ and I am demanding that The City of Edinburgh Council takes action to address mounting problems with waste and flytipping in the area.
I have launched the ‘Keep Gorgie Clean’ campaign to raise awareness and support local residents in dealing with waste and litter issues, but I feel that more action needs to be taken to address flytipping and dumping.
Gorgie/Dalry has become a hotspot for flytipping in recent months. It is time to send a clear message that Gorgie/Dalry is our home, not a dumping site. It is clear that most waste is not from local residents, but from people using our home as a dumping ground for personal and commercial waste.
We are currently the worst affected area in the city and I am demanding that the Council provides additional resources to tackle this serious issue as a priority. We urgently need more Street Enforcement Officers to report illegal dumping and issue fines, but I have been informed the city-wide team only have 4 officers per day on duty covering 15 wards, which is completely inadequate.
We need more regular patrols here and CCTV in the worst affected streets.
I will also be organising free uplift days for residents in early 2021 once Covid-19 restrictions permit. This will give local residents the chance to recycle and dispose of unwanted items responsibly and promote awareness of waste-related issues.
The subject has frequently been raised by local residents on social media and at Gorgie/Dalry Community Council meetings in recent months as the community has become increasingly frustrated with dumped items and waste cluttering up their streets.
Community Councillor for Gorgie-Dalry, Laura Wise, believes it is unreasonable for the Council to expect responsibility to lie with local residents. She said: “It’s just constant. Residents report items to The City of Edinburgh Council for uplift, but as soon as the rubbish is removed someone else comes along and dumps more waste! It’s not unusual for every single bin on my street to have fly tipped rubbish next to it. Offenders are becoming more brazen too: residents have reported seeing people drive up with vans and cars and dump trade waste, furniture, and appliances next to bins in the middle of the day.
Published in the Edinburgh Reporter | 4th December 2020