Householders Must Take Responsibility For Waste Or Risk Fines

Last year, there were over 35,000 fly-tips of household rubbish in the region; much of which was dumped by operators posing as legitimate waste carriers.

However, from next Monday, November 21, all householders in England will have a responsibility, under the waste ‘Duty of Care’, to ensure their rubbish is passed on to authorised carriers only. And those householders not taking reasonable measures to do so, could face fines of up to £5,000.

Registered waste carriers, other than the local council, can now be found online thanks to a new ‘waste carrier register’, set up by the Environment Agency.

Announcing the changes to the Duty of Care regulations for waste, Local Environment Minister, Ben Bradshaw, encouraged anyone using a private waste carrier to look at the register, or call their local Environment Agency office.

“Fly-tippers rely on people not asking questions, and not checking for registration – but now all householders have a responsibility to ask those questions, and check for that registration.

“Waste cowboys can make huge sums of money by charging to take household rubbish away illegally, before dumping it over the nearest hedge. If that rubbish is traced back to the household it came from, the householder could now be fined.”

However, Mr Bradshaw highlighted that the changes were not in place to ‘scare people’, but to provide another check in the fight to prevent fly-tipping.

“Using their new powers under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, both local authorities and the Environment Agency are working hard to catch fly-tippers, but they need help.

“If everyone takes responsibility for their own waste, we can cut the supply to the fly-tippers and drive them out of business – in turn saving council taxpayers millions of pounds.”

Last year, councils in the West Midlands spent a combined £10,000 a day clearing up fly-tips, over half of which were household rubbish; rubbish that could have been disposed of at the nearest tip – free of charge.

Councillor David Sparks, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Environment Board said:

“The new regulations are an extra weapon in the armoury to eliminate fly-tippers and fly-tipping. They are all about householders working with their council to combat the blight of fly-tipping and make sure rubbish is dealt with properly and responsibly.

“The target is not responsible citizens who keep their neighbourhoods clean, but those who are intent on dumping their rubbish for everyone else to clean up.

“Every year councils spend millions of pounds clearing up household rubbish that is dumped by people posing as legitimate waste carriers. We don’t want to fine people; we want to encourage them to think carefully about who they give their waste to, and not to simply choose the cheapest option.

“All household waste can still be disposed of at tips free of charge. And for residents unable to take bulky waste to the tip themselves, most councils offer a subsidised, or free, collection service.”

However, for those using waste carriers other than the council to remove household, garden or construction waste, the Environment Agency suggests the following check:

Consider whether the contractor falls into one of the following categories: all building and allied trades; landscape gardeners, tree fellers and surgeons; house clearers; retail establishments; and scrap metal dealers. These are occupations that will normally need a waste carrier registration.

Ask the contractor whether they are a registered waste carrier and ask for their waste carrier number. If they are not registered, refuse the service, and advise them that they need to speak with the Environment Agency on 08708 506506.

If they claim to be registered, telephone the Environment Agency on 08708 506506 and request an instant Waste Carrier Validation Check or check online at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/publicregister.