ABERDEEN NEWS - The Aberdeen solid waste disposal site, or municipal dumping ground, has spread to such an extent that vehicles can no longer get anywhere near the official designated dumping area.

The Advertiser has reported several times about the state of the dumping ground, most recently in January.

There has been no improvement, and the situation is now so bad that vehicles cannot even travel 100m along the access road before being confronted by heaps of rubbish and broken glass on the road itself.

A concerned local resident visited the site recently and took photos with his drone, to show the extent of the spread of the rubbish.

As can be seen in the aerial photos which have been loaded on our website (www.graaffreinetadvertiser.com), the layout of the site is such that, turning in from the N9, drivers cross a grid, and then travel about 350m along a dirt road, through poles which presumably once held gates, and then the road swings to the right and then right again into the normal offloading area.

In July it was reported another dump site had sprung up behind the fencing on the left of the access road, where people were leaving their rubbish as it was impossible to access the main site due to unstructured heaps of rubbish everywhere. Most of the fencing has been removed, presumably stolen.

Last September, local engineering company Penny Farthing used one of their Bobcat front-end loaders to clear the access road. Although this obviously should not be the responsibility of a private company, residents were very grateful for Penny Farthing's contribution.

By January, the access road itself was being used for dumping, as vehicles could negotiate the piles of rubbish. This has now escalated to a completely unacceptable situation, where those wishing to dump rubbish can barely go a few metres along the road.

There are also many people at the site going through rubbish, and those going to dump their rubbish (particularly women on their own) feel threatened.

According to one resident, these people also create even more mess, as when they go through the discarded items looking for things they can use or sell, they just empty and bags and make the situation worse. Other scavengers claim they are also threatened by some who feel they should have first option on dumped goods, and it is alleged that a couple with a dog set the dog on those who try to muscle in on what they consider their territory.

The aerial photos, taken in October 2017 and March 2019, clearly show the progression of the problem. In 2017, about 80% of the rubbish is in the designated area, and the access road is clear. By 2019, the designated dumping area is virtually empty (as nobody can access it) and the rubbish covers the access road.

In the other photos, it can be seen that only the poles of the fencing remain. We are still awaiting comment in this regard from the local municipality.