EAST Lothian Council has announced a zero-tolerance policy on fly-tipping, after seeing an increase in incidents reported.
The stark warning tells locals that fixed penalty notices can be placed on those who engage in fly-tipping, with no right of appeal.
It was reported earlier this year that a reported 359,000 complaints had been made to Edinburgh City Council about fly tipping, overflowing bins, and general cleanliness in the past five years.
In East Lothian, a new reporting service is operating to better record and map where incidents of fly-tipping occur.
The East Lothian council budget included £85,000 to meet costs associated with disposing of waste dumped by fly-tippers.
Councillor Colin McGinn, East Lothian cabinet secretary for community wellbeing, said: “Fly-tipping is a crime and there is no excuse for it.
“While we can’t disclose some of the investigatory techniques and resources now available to members of our community protection team, council staff are better placed than ever before to catch the people behind this disgusting and thoughtless behaviour.
“Fly-tippers demonstrate no regard for the damage caused to the environment, the costs incurred which put pressure on public services, and the risk to public safety.
“That’s why we are warning people that the council will take a zero-tolerance approach. Anyone who is caught engaging in this antisocial offending will face punishment.”
When Edinburgh City Council approved their budget for 2025/26, they stated that £500,000 would be used to “increase enforcement to keep the city cleaner and safer”.
Just last week, a pub on Kingsknowe Road North shared images of a large pile of discarded bulky items left behind their premises.
They stated: “In recent weeks there has been a significant increase in fly tipping at the rear of the pub.
“Not only is this totally unacceptable it also incurs unneeded costs on the pub to have it removed.
“Please be aware that CCTV has been installed to cover the back area of the pub and anyone caught dumping rubbish on the premises will be reported with CCTV images and vehicle registrations passed on to the relevant authorities.”
Whilst the fly-tipping penalty in East Lothian is £500, it remains at £200 in the Scottish capital, though if a case goes to court a penalty of up to £40,000 or even imprisonment can be imposed.
