We all hate fly-tipping littering our roads and countryside in Essex. Unfortunately, illegal waste operators target everyone from householders to big businesses with offers of cheap waste disposal. If this waste is then fly-tipped or dumped illegally, it ends up costing all of us to clean up the mess. If your waste is found fly-tipped, you could be held responsible. You could be contributing to fly-tipping without even knowing it!
It’s easy to find someone to collect your rubbish in Essex, from a general clear out and black bag waste to a mattress, sofa or building waste. But if your waste is found fly-tipped, even if someone else has dumped the items, you could be responsible for the crime. This could land you with a criminal record and an unlimited fine – it’s a crime not to care!
Avoid leaving items out for others to take. If a rogue trader takes these items, they may remove the parts they want and illegally dump the rest. Instead, you can donate good quality items to your local furniture project or charity shop. You could also give items away to someone in your local community for free, using Freegle.
If you cannot get rid of your own rubbish, either through your kerbside collection, at a recycling centre or using a skip hire company, you may choose to use a waste operator or man-in-a-van type trader. There are some easy checks you can make to ensure you’ve carried out your duty of care and that your waste does not end up fly-tipped.
Before handing your waste over to a trader, ask to see their waste carriers’ licence, otherwise known as their waste carriers’ registration number, and vehicle details. This is issued by the Environment Agency. You can check a waste carriers' licence online.
Ask for a transfer notice or receipt before your waste is taken away by the trader. This means you can prove who collected and got rid of your rubbish. Keep hold of this for your records.
Find out where the trader is planning to dispose of your waste. If you are paying for someone to dispose of your waste, this is classed as business waste and cannot be taken to a council recycling centre. Registered waste carriers’ can legally remove your rubbish, but you still need to check what is going to happen to your waste. Ask for paperwork that shows where they will be taking your rubbish.
If you carry out these steps you will be ensuring your rubbish will not be fly-tipped. This helps reduce the supply of rubbish to illegal waste operators in Essex.
Please report incidents of fly-tipping to the local authority where the rubbish has been fly-tipped: