Fly Tipping

Fly tipping is 'the illegal deposit of any waste onto land with no licence to accept waste'. Waste includes: general household waste; larger domestic items including fridges and mattresses; garden refuse; and commercial waste such as builders' rubble, clinical waste and tyres. Such waste can occur in any quantities in any mixture in any location.

At the very least illegal dumping of waste is a blight on our environment, spoiling the landscape, and is an unnecessary cost to taxpayers or landowners. At the worst it can cause long lasting contamination, pollution and put human health at risk.

It is an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to fly tip any material. Conviction could lead to a fine of up to £20,000.  The Council treats this problem very seriously and will prosecute anyone caught flytipping waste.

If you see anyone fly tipping or see any sites which has fly tipped waste on it, please contact us by using the details below. Please follow the guidance below for advice on how to deal with fly tipped land:

• Do not touch the waste. Fly tipped waste can be dangerous as it may contain syringes, broken glass, asbestos, toxic chemicals or other hazardous substances.
• Try to visually inspect the waste. If possible, you should look to see what the waste consists of and how much there is.
• Take note of its exact location and whether it is near to, or in, water
  Do not disturb the site. There may be evidence that could help identify the culprits and lead to their prosecution.
• If you see someone fly tipping, you should make a note of the day, date and time you saw the incident. You should also try and get a description of any vehicles involved, including the registration number if possible. Never approach the fly tippers, as you may be at risk if you do so.

Important Information
 
At present there are people operating in the area who claim to be waste disposal companies and offer house clearance or a refuse collection service.  To provide this service the inidvidual or business must be a licensed waste carrier.  This is not always the case and often the waste unlicensed businesses collect ends up being dumped on recreational and open land, in rear lanes and lay by's, on highways etc.  To prevent such occurrences it is vital that EVERYONE ensures that waste is taken from them by a licensed contractor.  Commercial businesses must ensure they are provided with a waste transfer document and any householder using a waste contractor must ask for a waste transfer note. If you do not have these documents you may be deemed liable for the illegal deposit of your waste even though you didn't dump it youself.

For further information and advice please contact us.