Over 400 bags of rubbish collected from A77

Mar 27 2009 by Stef Lach, Kilmarnock Standard

Rubbish madness on the motorway

OVER 400 bags of rubbish and four tonnes of dumped household items – including a wheelbarrow – were collected from the grass verge alongside the A77 last week.

The incredible mountain of trash included rubbish thrown from car windows and bigger items left behind by fly tippers.

East Ayrshire Council’s cleansing department spent two days clearing the debris which required the A77 to be closed while the work was carried out.

The teams collected over 400 bags of rubbish from Bellfield, Grassyards interchange, Spittalhill South and Spittalhill.

They also collected almost four tonnes of various items including carpets, road cones, car parts, tyres, pallets and even a wheelbarrow.

Councillor Bobby McDill, environment spokesman, said: “I was quite astonished by the amount of rubbish that was cleared from the verges of the A77 and the attitude of the motorists who have no respect for their environment.

“This was a large scale job which was time sensitive and our teams pulled out all the stops to get the verges cleared. I would ask motorists to be more aware of the environmental consequences of dumping items at the side of the road or out of a car window.

“Also the cost to local authorities is substantial and this is money that could be spent on vital frontline services.”

Last year, the Standard, in partnership with the council, ran a campaign to raise awareness of the effect of fly tipping on the environment and the cost to the taxpayer.

The campaign, called No Messin’, ran for five weeks.

If you spot anyone fly tipping, write down as much information as you can such as the location, the time, type of vehicle and registration number and call the Dumb Dumpers hotline on 0845 230 4090.

If you have any household waste, please use one of the council’s many public amenities sites.

Visit www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk for full details on all the options offered by the council for recycling and heavy uplifts – most of which are free of charge.