"Straighten Up and Fly Right" - Diana Krall, 2003

"Fly Tipping". It was one of those terms I didn't understand at all when I first heard it used here in Britain. What could that actually mean, I wondered? Surely not a bug gratuity????

No...it's something dreadful. It's a term which refers to dumping trash and discarded furniture, building materials, dead appliances, tyres (note the British spelling) etc. in illegal locations. Here, that's often a "layby" on a roadway (a small parking area), in a park, on farms, etc. It's a big problem...and apparently costs the public about £100/hour to clean up. Here's a news article about it, from the BBC.

But the term continues to sound very peculiar to my ears. I'm having enough trouble remembering that here it's called rubbish instead of trash or garbage, and the garbage collectors are known as bin men...because what we put out at the curb once a week is a wheelie bin!

Janet

PS -- Oops! I just noticed that I misspelled "curb" in that last sentence...because in the UK, it's kerb! Excuse me...or SORRY. as they'd say over here!