‘This behaviour needs to stop’ - fly-tipping build-up at Balmacara Estate in Wester Ross sparks concerns of environmental impacts
Works to clear a Wester Ross beauty spot from various kinds of waste dumped in the area have begun, costing more than £6000.
The National Trust for Scotland (NTS), which looks after the 2500-hectares-wide Balmacara Estate in Lochalsh, announced that they have begun the removal of waste from various fly-tipping sites, whilst raising concerns about its impact on the local environment.
In a post on their Facebook page, they stated that they found two significant locations where people have dumped “all kinds of household, and sometimes commercial waste”, with waste on one of the sites ending up in a water supply used for livestock.
According to their statement, the dumping “has been building up over the years” despite the site being cleared out at least twice previously, and NTS has been left to clear out the sites and pay the costs for the works.
They said: “This behaviour, apart from being illegal, is hugely damaging to the environment, and this is being done by people in our community, not by tourists or visitors! Over recent years there has been a lot of comment regarding the waste left by campervans and the like, and yet some members of our own communities treat this special place with complete disrespect.
“The cost of clearing these sites will be over £6,000, which has to be borne by the Trust, and this means there is less money available for other important work on the estate.
“Once these sites have been cleared, we will be closely monitoring them for evidence of further dumping, including the use of surveillance cameras, and we will send any evidence we have to the Police and seek prosecution. This kind of behaviour is unacceptable and needs to be stopped.
“I am sure most of our readers will be horrified to see this, and will share our concern. All we can ask is that if you see anyone dumping waste, please report it to us, or the Police, so we can deal with it. We thank you in advance for your support in managing this anti-social behaviour and hope that we won’t need to repeat this kind of clear-up work in the future.”
They also encouraged anyone who needs to get rid of waste to contact Highland Council to arrange a collection or use one of the recycling centres in the region.
