Imerys joins battle to halt rise in fly-tipping
CHINA clay giant Imerys is among a growing army battling against illegal waste dumping and litter bugs.
Imerys, which owns swathes of industrial land across mid-Cornwall, has seen incidents of illegal fly-tipping rocket in the past three years.
In one year alone, fly-tipping on its land almost doubled from 62 incidents in 2010 to 104 in 2011.
The trend continued throughout last year and, in the first two months of 2013, the firm has already seen 25 incidents of waste being dumped illegally – three in the first half of last week.
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Yvonne Lister, Imerys' facilities and security manager, heads the team cleaning up after the perpetrators.
"People will dump waste anywhere they can pull off the road," she explained.
Car parks, verges and even clay pit entrances and open public space provided by Imerys across Nanpean, Trewoon, Stenalees and Penwithick are among areas that have become magnets for fly-tipping.
Everything from animal carcasses to nappies, builders' materials and freezers are being dumped. Once the waste is reported and investigated, the aim is to clear the sites as quickly as possible, costing Imerys thousands of pounds.
Chris Varcoe, Imerys' minerals services manager, said it is in full support of the Cornish Guardian's bid to halt the offenders.
He said: "Fly-tipping poses a risk to our workforce and our visitors in terms of health and safety and the very real risk that the materials can pose to the environment.
"We are a business and, like everybody else operating in this difficult economy, spending time clearing up other people's waste is not what we want to be doing."
Imerys works closely with Cornwall Council and is urging the community to report fly-tipping to itself or the local authority and relevant agencies.
Last month this paper revealed that fly-tipping was on the increase. Since then Cornish Guardian readers have been revealing the worst spots for fly-tipping.
Last week one resident, who wished to remain unnamed, reported that two large piles of butchered meat had been dumped by a stream in Tyshute Lane, Polgooth.
She removed and disposed of the meat, which weighed 18lb.
"We have lived in the village for over 20 years and have never come across anything so foul – the odd can or bit of rubbish but never something such as this," she said.
"I hope whoever did this does not repeat such an incident. In the days of recycling and at last a regular waste collection in the village, I really can't think of any reason for someone to do this."
If you have seen any fly-tipping, please call our newsdesk on 01726 76815, e-mail reports and pictures to cgedit@c-dm.co.uk or visit the St Austell Cornish Guardian.
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