Work to stop the spread of flies from illegally dumped waste from an industrial unit in Newton Mearns, Strathclyde has begun today (12 April), the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has confirmed.
And, SEPA has said that investigations are underway to identify the source of the waste, which is described as comprising of loose and baled cardboard, construction and demolition waste, municipal wastes and liquid wastes.
The waste has been dumped at an industrial unit at the former site of the Netherplace Dye Works, Nertherplace Road, and has gained media attention due to an infestation flies in the local area, which has been traced back to the waste.
The clean-up and eventual clearance of the site is being overseen by the owner of the land – who is also cooperating with the investigation by SEPA. No permitted waste operation has been approved for the site, according to SEPA.
The first stage of the clean-up operation is to spray the waste with a pesticide to reduce the spread of flies from the site, a process which is underway this afternoon.
Treatment
In a statement today, the regulator said: “SEPA can confirm that the landowner will begin treatment of the waste deposits at Netherplace Dye Works this afternoon, aimed at reducing the number of flies at the site.
“This process will take time to become effective, however spraying will continue on a daily basis and should begin to reduce the number of flies significantly over the coming days.”
In a statement issued yesterday evening on behalf of SEPA and East Renfrewshire council, Kenny Boag SEPA’s head of operations for the South West, said that the organisation will oversee the removal of waste from the site, a process which is expected to take a number of weeks.
He said: “The prime responsibility of our officers is to ensure that this waste is removed safely and in a manner that will not exacerbate the problems currently being suffered by local residents.”
Scale
Mr Boag added that ‘given the array of materials’ stored at the site it is important to ensure that the removal and disposal of the waste does not result in harmful or illegal consequences elsewhere.
He added: “SEPA have had daily interaction with the landowner to help them understand the scale of the problem and also assist them in resolving a number of immediate issues which could affect the local environment.
“An essential role for SEPA going forward is to identify the persons responsible for this act and we have designed our investigation to run alongside any removal works, so that we do not impede the rate at which this site is cleared.”
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
