Flytipping


Tackling tippers


The council had to spend £103,408 of public money in 2010/11 to clear up flytipping in this area. Everyone has a legal responsibility to store waste safely and dispose of it legally. Here we explain how to stay within the law, and who does what to enforce it.


Because of this, everyone in the UK must, under Duty of Care legislation, take all reasonable steps to store waste safely and to dispose of it legally. Anyone who gives their waste to


I


someone else – and this applies to households, businesses and individuals –must be sure they are authorised to take it and can transport, recycle or dispose of it


llegally-tipped waste can seriously damage the environment by causing pollution and harming wildlife.


safely. Most of the waste from our homes


will be disposed of through the council. Councils are authorised to carry out waste disposal. But if an individual has building


work done or employs a tradesperson such as a plumber or tree surgeon and has waste removed from their property, they need to be aware of the law. The tradesperson needs to be registered with the Environment Agency to carry waste. If they are not, and the waste is fly-tipped, the householder could be fined up to £5,000. The Environment Agency


appreciates that legislation relating to waste is quite complicated. More information and advice on waste disposal is available by calling 03708 506 506 during normal office hours. When fly-tipping does happen,


councils and the Environment Agency have powers to tackle it. The Environment Agency


investigates the larger-scale incidents, those involving hazardous waste and organised gangs of fly-tippers, as well as those which cause a flood risk. Councils tackle waste dumped illegally on publicly-owned land, including roads and lay-bys.


To report fly-tipping, call the council on 01724 297000 or the Environment Agency’s 24-hour hotline on 0800 80 70 60.


Flytipping: do your bit to prevent and report it


Simple steps to stay legal


There are three simple steps you can take to make sure you stay within the law and protect the environment:


 First, make sure that any waste being stored on your property or site is kept securely in a suitable container.


 Second, if you give waste to someone else to dispose of, check that the person you are giving it to has the authority to take it. The Environment Agency has a responsibility to register anyone carrying waste on our roads. To check that a company or individual has a valid Waste Carrier’s Licence, visit www2.environment- agency. gov.uk/ epr/search.asp Or simply type “waste carriers’ licence check” into a search engine or call 03708 506 506 and ask for a waste carrier’s licence check.


 Third, the person who is handing the waste over needs to describe it in writing. The company taking the waste will generally provide a waste transfer note for them to complete and sign.


A copy of the transfer note should be kept. This enables the person whose waste was taken to show that it was taken away by a registered waste carrier, and is being disposed of at a licensed site that has a permit to take the kind of waste stated on the transfer note.


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˙© Richard West | Geograph.org.uk


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