Fly-tipping condemned as 'disgusting and damaging' after rubbish is dumped near historic Wick site
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A Wick man has condemned fly-tipping as "disgusting, environmentally damaging and hazardous" after finding a pile of rubbish dumped near one of the county's most historic landmarks.
Matt Towe encountered the discarded items – including pieces of cardboard packaging and a wooden frame – close to the 860-year-old Castle of Old Wick while he was out dog-walking on Wednesday morning.
He has reported the matter to Highland Council, sending a number of photos he took. Among the debris were packages that had come through the post, featuring labels that show the name and address of a resident in the Pulteneytown area.
Mr Towe, originally from Doncaster, moved to Wick three years ago. He walks out to the cliff-top castle most days.
Although irresponsible dumping can be associated with so-called dirty campers, Mr Towe feels it is wrong to pin the blame entirely on visitors.
"It's coming up to the busy season again and we should all prepare for the usual round of complaints about 'filthy tourists' leaving litter, dumping waste and disregarding the countryside," he said.
"There is no denying the influx of visitors does add to increased waste in the area, and I agree not all visitors are as responsible as others when it comes to taking their rubbish away.
"But I think it's perhaps about time some Caithness residents started practising what they preach and being a bit more responsible for their own environment. I know it's only a small minority who, for one reason or another, think they're entitled to dump their waste in random spots around Caithness – but it is basically disgusting, environmentally damaging and hazardous to everyone.
"The fact we have perfectly good recycling centres and household waste collections in the Highlands seems completely alien to these people. I just find it a shame that people feel the need to do that.
"There were a few things that I didn't want to go near because I didn't like the look of them, but the things that were on the surface were cardboard, mostly.
“I put a couple of the photos on Facebook on Wednesday and I can't believe how many people have responded saying the same thing. It just shows how many do appreciate what there is here – it's always the tiny minority that stands out.”
As well as the rubbish tipped near the Castle of Old Wick, Mr Towe had noticed other examples closer to the town. "There was more near the Trinkie, and the bus stop on Wellington Avenue was filled with builders' waste earlier this week," he said.
"These incidents have been reported to Highland Council several times and hopefully action will be taken against the culprits."
A Highland Council spokesperson said: “Reports of fly-tipping are investigated by officers from the council’s environmental health service, in conjunction with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Police Scotland.
"Where the responsible parties are identified, appropriate enforcement action will be taken. This could involve a fixed monetary penalty of £200 or, in more serious cases, a fine of up to £40,000.
“The environmental health team will be notified of this incident. Not only is fly-tipping an offence, but there is no excuse for it anywhere in our region, as the council provides 21 recycling centres across the Highlands and offers a bulky uplift service for large items.
“Anyone coming across incidents of fly tipping can report it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, using our website at www.highland.gov.uk/report or by calling 01349 886603 during opening hours.”
