Thursday 16 April 2020
Green Party NI Leader and Environment Committee Member Clare Bailey MLA has commented on a spike in fly tipping and waste generation during the Coronavirus lockdown, saying:
"Fly tipping is always a selfish act but particularly during an unprecedented public health crisis.
"Council workers and waste disposal operatives are being tasked with cleaning up and clearing out fly tipping sites, posing a risk to their health and well being.
"Fly tipping can also lead to dangerous chemicals leaching from appliances into the soil and watercourses with devastating impacts on local wildlife.
"People are using extra time on their hands during lockdown to clear out room or garages or work at the garden. However, we ned to get our priorities in order - we are in the midst of a public health crisis and it's vital that we all pull together and adjust our behaviour in response.
"That means reducing waste rather than ramping up our output. It's time to do things differently - the clear out can wait and the throw away mentality should be replaced with thinking about how we can reuse things more rather than generating more and more waste."
ENDS
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