Brian Whittle MSP has called on the Scottish Government to speed up their plans to tackle the environmental contamination at Tarbolton Landfill.
The MSP made the call during a question in the Scottish Parliament to the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, Roseanna Cunningham. The South Scotland MSP has been putting pressure on the Scottish Government to act as conditions on the site have steadily worsened since its operators entered liquidation in 2018.
Since the operators walked off the site, a lack of ongoing maintenance has seen contaminated water leaking into watercourses, local residents living with unpleasant odours and toxic giant hogweed plants growing on the site with their seeds spreading along local riverbanks. The plant is an invasive species which can cause serious burns to the skin or even blindness.
In response to Brian’s question, the Cabinet Secretary said the Scottish Government was developing a proposition with South Ayrshire Council and SEPA to resolve the issue. She also acknowledged that the legal difficulties caused by the site being in liquidation had slowed the response.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“While I appreciate that there are legal difficulties here, the fact of the matter is that every day the landfill sits abandoned, its condition gets a little worse.
For the sake of local residents living with the smells from the site and for the wider environment, the Scottish Government need to push ahead and deliver a fully funded plan to make the site safe. Most immediately, I’m particularly concerned that the landfill has become a safe haven for giant hogweed to reproduce and spread elsewhere.
I’ve spoken to the Scottish Government, SEPA and South Ayrshire Council about the landfill and while all of them acknowledge the problem, it agreeing a solution is a painfully slow process.
The Cabinet Secretary has offered to meet with me to discuss the progress of the work being done and I will be taking her up on that as soon as possible.”
