Fly-tippers dumping rubbish and tyres in our communal bins, says homeowner

Eskdale resident Gordon Jackson is tired of people fly tipping in the resident's communal bin. Picture: Danny Loo (Image: Danny Loo Photography 2018)

Gordon Jackson, 47, a director of the company which manages the flats, says the bins where he lives at Eskdale in London Colney keep getting filled with trade waste.

He said: “I call these people cuckoos as they put their rubbish in other people’s bins. They are not just ditching it in the road so they know it’s not OK.

“It does feel like a violation. Someone has come along and used the communal bins and taken advantage of a service meant for us.”

The bins are not always visible from the flats, which is why Gordon thinks they are being used by fly-tippers.

There has been some discussion of installing CCTV, but this would mean relying on one person to house it in their flat.

Head of housing for St Albans council Karen Dragovic said: “It appears someone had a house clearance and dumped the contents in the communal bin area instead of going to a recycling centre or arranging a special collection.

“The containers and bin area were completely filled and among the items we discovered at the site were car tyres, a mattress, chairs, a fridge and other kitchen appliances.

“As a result, there was also a build-up of household rubbish bags that would normally have gone in the containers.

“Refuse collectors are only able to empty bin containers during their rounds and cannot clear up large-scale messes like this. They could not even access the containers.

“To resolve the problem, we have had to pay our waste contractor Veolia to carry out a special clearance and that has now been completed.”

The district has become ridden with fly-tipping, most recently when a mountain of waste dumped on Furzebush Lane in St Albans forced county council contractors to close the road while the detritus was cleared.

Last December, five people were fined £300 by the council after, in the case of one offender, abandoning a bicycle, wash basket, and a bag of discarded fabrics in Ashley ward.

The other fines covered fly-tipping incidents in Clarence, London Colney, and Marshalswick.

To report fly-tipping visit wastemanagementservices@stalbans.gov.uk