The waste management company has agreed to recycle around 17 tonnes of bonfire material collected from illegally constructed bonfires in North Tyneside by an initiative which is jointly run by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, Northumbria Police and North Tyneside council.
SITA UK's North-East regional manager, John Grainger, said: “SITA UK is happy to support such a valuable campaign. Illegal bonfires are potentially very dangerous, so when we were asked to help with the disposal of some of the material we immediately agreed to assist.”
Waste collected in the campaign is being taken to SITA's North Tyneside transfer station to be sorted, with any green waste being sent for composting.
Under the initiative, council officers, accompanied by police community support officers, will dismantle and remove any illegally-constructed bonfires to prevent them from posting a safety threat to nearby homes, business and vehicles.
North Tyneside council's cabinet member for the environment, councillor Ed Hodson, praised the company's involvement in the initiative.
“We're pleased that, once again, SITA UK will be helping us dispose of the materials that are collected from these illegal sites,” he said.
Keith Carruthers highlighted the risk to people's lives that illegal bonfires represented, and said: “We are trying to eliminate the problem by working with our partners to dispose of bonfires before they are lit and we are grateful to SITA UK for its help with this.”
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