Talking rubbish: Could shouting 'trash cams' cut Scotland's waste blight?

Talking ‘trash cams’ should be installed across Scotland to clamp down on illegal dumping of waste and punish fly-tippers, the boss of a security firm has said.

The call comes after horrifying footage emerged showing massive piles of festering waste at an illegal dump site beneath a motorway flyover in Glasgow.

It also follows a major spike in littering across the country during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ryan Clark, chief executive of Safer Scotland, said he believed setting up a network of cameras that shout warnings and record acts of littering could help protect scenic places and cut down on dumping hot-spots.

Littering and fly-tipping cost Scots in excess of £53 million each year

“Scotland is floundering in a sea of thoughtlessly discarded rubbish,” he said.

“Gratuitous disfiguration takes place in some of the most beautiful and often fragile locations – places which should be respected and enjoyed rather than despoiled.

“And it is not just beauty spots. Our city centres, public spaces, parks and highways are all blighted.