I READ an article published on the CaRT website about fly tipping that was taking place on the canal near Goole, writes Mick Fitzgibbons.
I must admit at the time I very nearly choked on my tea and toast when I read: 'Help us tackle illegal fly tipping in Goole' with the subtext: 'We're appealing for help to tackle illegal fly tipping at a popular local reservoir near Goole after being left to pick up the bill for clearing hazardous dumped waste at the site'. The reservoir in question was Southfield and is quite close to one of our favourite mooring spots.
Enough is enough
Gavin Beat, environmental scientist for the Trust stated: 'It's got to the stage where enough is enough, this rubbish is someone else's legal responsibility but we have to pick up the bill for clearing it up and as a charity this has a real impact on the money that our staff and volunteers have to use elsewhere on important work to look after the waterways.'
It was a different standpoint taken by CaRT when an individual was observed dumping a load of chemical containers into a CaRT provided Biffa container. It was reported directly by telephone to CaRT. The reaction was that no one at CaRT was in the least bit interested.
Dangerous
The Biffa driver who came to empty the containers could smell the chemical materials. He removed the items from the container leaving them behind in the compound. The driver did this because he correctly identified the materials as being dangerous. And that they could only be disposed of at a licenced disposal site. The driver even reported removing the materials to his manager, and why he was leaving them.
The reaction of the fly-tipper was to wait until the Biffa driver had left, then to put the materials back into an empty Biffa container and cover with ordinary household rubbish. This was reported again to CaRT and still no one was interested.
I read that CaRT environmentalists are wanting waterways users to observe and report such issues. If the local management team policy is to ignore such reports. It does not bode well for the future and demonstrates once again that one directorate within CaRT is at odds with another when it comes down to taking action.