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The Upper Rhymney Valley is a place filled with lush green rolling hills and a rich industrial history.
But something else can often be found as a part of the landscape – rubbish.
After an incident at Rhaslas Pond near Fochriw, fly-tipping has been labelled a “scourge” of the Upper Rhymney Valley by the chairman of a local action group.
Eddy Blanche, chairman of the United Valleys Action Group, which represents the interests of many ex-coalmining communities and campaigned to stop a mass-burn incinerator and Nant Llesg opencast mine, told Caerphilly Observer more about the issue.
Cllr Blanche, who also sits on Darran Valley Community Council, said: “Fly-tipping has been a scourge of the Upper Rhymney Valley for as long as I can remember.”
Areas such as the Bogey Road and the road that runs through Fochriw to Trecatti Road are problem areas, according to Cllr Blanche.
Rhaslas Pond, however, is only affected in certain situations. “You can’t get up there normally,” he said.
He continued: “Somebody has moved the boulders,” referring to the large rocks that lie at an entrance to the pond, “for some reason they’ve been moved and not replaced.”
Now, pictures show a half-burnt pile of belongings which included chairs, plastic and cardboard – a clear distraction from the shining sun and the blue waters of an area which houses rare birds such as the long-billed dowager, according to Friends of the Earth.
“It’s a nature reserve,” said Cllr Blanche, “quite often you get bird watchers up there.”
Fly-tipping is defined as the “illegal dumping of liquid or solid waste on land or in water. The waste is usually dumped to avoid disposal costs,” according to Caerphilly County Borough Council’s website.
According to the House of Commons Library, local authorities are “responsible for investigating, clearing and taking appropriate enforcement action in relation to small scale fly-tipping on public land”, whereas on public land the responsibility lies with the landowner.
A council spokesperson said: “This recent incident of fly-tipping at Rhaslas Pond was reported to our Enforcement Team yesterday and officers are due to visit the site today [September 7] to check for evidence as to who dumped the waste.
“The land in question is privately owned. We will liaise with the owners to discuss what measures can be put in place to prevent further future occurrences of fly-tipping.
Point out ‘their responsibility’
Cllr Blanche thinks that disreputable or even unlicensed waste collectors could often be to blame for incidents of fly-tipping.
“My personal belief is that one of the problems that seem to arise is that people…pay someone to take their waste away and that waste gets fly-tipped.”
As well as clamping down on prosections, he thinks that a more informative approach is needed which lays out the fact that getting rid of waste lies with the person whose waste it is.
“Councils, in general, should send out notifications to all residents pointing out [their] responsibility,” said Cllr Blanche.
There are, Cllr Blanche adds, responsibilities which lie under the law in relation to household waste, for example, under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
That’s why he believes a leaflet should be sent to every household explaining their legal responsibilities.
“In theory, there is a big fine if your waste is dumped illegally,” the community councillor added.
Informing people in such a way could be a good thing, meaning residents could ask the right questions and avoid using disreputable or unlicensed waste providers.
After all, most people are not looking to unknowingly contribute towards fly-tipping. Cllr added: “Most people just want to get rid of the rubbish.”
A spokesperson for Caerphilly County Borough Council told Caerphilly Observer it plans to contact United Valley Action Group to facilitate communication between them and the senior environment health officer to “explain what Caerphilly CBC communications channels we use to raise awareness on how residents/business should responsibly dispose of their waste”.
Instances of fly-tipping can be reported on the council’s website.
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