Free community skip scheme launched

Workers in orange and yellow high-vis vests putting a large mattress into a yellow-coloured skipImage source, Jake Zuckerman/BBC
Image caption,

One of the aims of the community skip scheme is to reduce fly-tipping, officials said

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A Lincolnshire council has launched a free community skip scheme in an attempt to reduce fly-tipping.

Boston Borough Council said the initiative would allow people to dispose of bulky waste, including furniture, mattresses and large electrical items.

The authority said it would be monitoring the effectiveness of the scheme.

If the trial is successful, the project could be extended with skips placed in other locations around the area.

Image source, Jake Zuckerman/BBC
Image caption,

Council leader Anne Dorrian said the council would be monitoring the effectiveness of the scheme

In the first quarter of 2023, the council responded to 1,439 fly-tipping incidents, according to figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

During the same period this year, the figure fell to 1,286.

in July, officials said some progress had been made in tackling fly-tipping in the town due to a combination of fines, an education programme and a scheme to track down the owners of abandoned waste.

Council leader Anne Dorrian said she hoped the community skip scheme would reduce the number of incidents further.

"We want to reduce fly-tipping - that's very important," she said.

"We [also] want to make it easier for those who struggle to move large bulky items from their home to the tip."

The scheme launched on Monday in St Georges Road Car Park.

Further dates are planned for 26 August, 2 and 9 September and 4, 11, 18 and 25 November.

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