Fly-Tipping and Illegal Dumping: Who Is Responsible?
What is fly-tipping and is it illegal?
Fly-tipping is defined as “the illegal deposit of waste onto land which does not have the licence to accept it”. In other words, this means dumping waste in areas other than tips, landfills or recycling centres. If you see a pile of rubbish at the side of the road, that is fly-tipping, or illegal dumping. Fly-tipping is illegal; it can be punished with fines of up to £50,000, and repeat offenders may even face a prison sentence.
Responsibilities of the local council/authority
Local councils and authorities are responsible for the removal of fly-tipped waste on any land that meets the following criteria:
- It’s open to the air on at least one side
- It is under their direct control
- It is accessible to the public
Responsibilities of the landowner (if private land)
If waste is fly-tipped onto private land, then the landowner can choose how to approach the situation. They can contact the local council in order to have the dumping recorded, but the individual must decide how to dispose of the waste – they may have to pay for the cost of having the waste removed.
Responsibilities of businesses using land
If you run a business, you must have a contract with a waste management company to ensure that your waste is being collected and disposed of appropriately. It is an offence for businesses to give their waste to an unlicensed waste carrier.
How to deal with fly-tipped waste
Fly-tipped waste is often large in quantity and can often be bulky. If you are the victim of fly-tipping, then skip hire is an effective way of dealing with the waste. A reliable skip hire company such as SCS Waste will offer a range of sizes, meaning all waste can be dealt with in one fell swoop. Once the waste is in the skip, it will then be collected and disposed of properly – as licensed waste carriers, you can have total confidence and peace of mind in our work.
How to avoid fly-tipping
Firstly, you should ensure that any waste carrier you choose to deal with is a licensed one. When choosing a waste carrier, ask them to evidence their licence and to prove that they dispose of waste responsibly. If they can’t do either of these things, do not use them.
If someone has fly-tipped onto your land, make sure to inform the Environmental Agency as soon as possible. Remember, you are responsible for clearing waste that has been dumped on your land, so it’s in your interest to act fast. Furthermore, informing the Environmental Agency can help expedite the process of finding those responsible for the fly-tipping.
SCS Waste are proud to be a leading provider of waste clearance services for customers throughout Bognor Regis, Arundel, Littlehampton and the surrounding areas. As fully-licensed waste carriers, we offer a specialist fly-tipping and illegal dumping treatment service which ensures the safe collection and disposal of your waste. We strive to divert as much waste as possible away from landfill and into our state-of-the-art recycling facility to minimise our impact on the environment.
For more information about our services, please contact us today – we’re always happy to help.
