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In days
gone by, councils would collect and dispose of your redundant fridge or
deep freeze from your home at no cost and these old white goods would be
refurbished and exported at an affordable price to eager importers in
developing countries. Such recycling offered small repair shops an
opportunity to earn income. Lower priced refurbished fridges helped save
money for many hospitals, clinics and schools in poor countries. Our
ratepayers and Local Authorities did not have to pay for disposal of
fridges or deep freezers. Similarly, end of life vehicles could be
delivered to scrap merchants who made their living by selling them on for
parts and residual metal content.
Until
recently, we did not have our countryside littered with fridges and
abandoned cars, but sadly the countryside of West Suffolk is now despoiled
by rusting goods because of new disposal directives from the European
Union. Our councils, inundated with complaints from irate residents,
search desperately for finance to collect, store and dispose mountains of
such waste. Local Authorities are forced to pay millions for disposal.
The
British government was signatory to these changes in EU legislation but it
failed to take appropriate action at that time to establish recycling
plants in the UK in anticipation of the current need for efficient
disposal of waste e.g. disposal of CFC in foam packing in fridges and
heavy metal components of cars including batteries. Such unacceptable
abdication of responsibility by our ministers has precipitated a national
charge of about £3bn – enough to refurbish and modernise 200 NHS
hospitals or 500 dilapidated primary and secondary schools.
I cannot
understand why the Government continues to dither over appropriate action
to deal with illegal dumping of waste in the countryside. Why is there no
legislation to make the seller of a car duty bound to register a change of
ownership so that the last registered keeper could be held responsible for
disposal cost of an end of life vehicle? What are the Government criteria
for setting recycling targets for local authorities and how does it intend
to deal with councils which failed to secure a share of its £140m aid
package that was three times oversubscribed?
It is
time for this Government to take action to preserve the countryside. It
should immediately:
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Consult
all local authorities including Suffolk county and St Edmundsbury,
Forest Heath and Babergh district councils to establish accurate data
of dumped goods e.g. type, quantity, geographic location, local cost
of collection, storage and disposal etc.
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Establish
level and type of compensation for Local Authorities based on
population density and other appropriate parameters.
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Introduce
effective legislation for those who litter our countryside.
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Encourage,
with suitable tax incentives, the establishment of recycling plants
throughout the country to minimise the cost of disposal and eliminate
this unnecessary pollution of the environment.
-
Require
manufacturers of new equipment to devise products that are
biodegradable or can be readily recycled.
So folks,
let us "Preserve our countryside!"
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