Mounting waste problem highlights the need for robust regulation
The country has a mounting waste problem and it is unfortunately an issue that is blighting communities in this region as well. There is the financial cost of clearing and disposing of waste but as the experience of those in South Elmsall shows, there is a cost to the quality of lives as well.
When people in the former mining town are unable to open their windows and unable to put their washing out because of the smells emanating from a waste tip, there has been a clear failure to protect the community.
Concerns around waste are not just restricted to South Yorkshire. Over on the coast, waste tips are spilling into the sea. One near Withernsea operated for a few decades before closing in the 1960s but coastal erosion is seeing all manner of pollutants enter the sea. While farmers across the region are facing a tsunami of fly-tipping. Recent figures showing fly-tipping in England has hit record highs with a 9 per cent year-on-year increase in incidents.
What is abundantly clear is that there is a lack of robust regulation to deal with the piling mounds of rubbish on our doorsteps.
Although the former waste site in Withernsea had a licence in the past, it doesn’t appear in any of the official Environment Agency (EA) records.
For farmers injustice is piled on top of injustice with them being held financially responsible for clearing up the mess. The majority of people would welcome the Government coming down hard on criminal gangs responsible for fly-tipping.
But while the dark side of waste is all too evident, the work being done by addiction rehabilitation facility Reflections House in Castleford is to be applauded. Not only is it helping people turn their lives around but also making a contribution to the local community by running clean up operations in the town centre.