What is fly-tipping
Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of any waste or rubbish anywhere other than at a licensed tip. Fly-tipping is a problem because uncontrolled dumping can present a hazard to the public, from for example: drums of toxic waste, asbestos sheeting, syringes and unused drugs. Depending on the nature of the waste and its location, there can be damage to watercourses, or to underlying soil quality. Fly-tipping undermines legitimate waste management activities; licensed operators have to charge more because they have invested in training and registration to comply with the law.
Why is fly-tipping a problem?
- As council tax payers, cleaning up fly-tipping costs us all money
- It is dangerous and potentially harmful to you and your family's health
- It spoils our enjoyment of the environment
- It can cause serious pollution to the environment
- It attracts arson and further fly-tipping
- It can be dangerous for wildlife
What are the costs of fly-tipping?
The Environment Agency estimates incidents of fly-tipping each year cost between £100 and £150 million to clean up.
What are the fly-tipping laws?
In the United Kingdom waste disposal comes under controls that impose a duty to ensure that waste is disposed of properly. Only holders of a waste management license can recover, transport, deposit or dispose of waste which must be at officially authorised sites. Anyone fly-tipping waste is committing a serious offence. Fines in Magistrates Courts are up to £50,000 and may include up to six months imprisonment. If the case goes to Crown Court fines are unlimited, and may include up to two years imprisonment or up to five years if hazardous waste is dumped. Where fly-tipping involves the use of a vehicle, the driver can be prosecuted, as can the person who owns the vehicle.
New legislation is in place which states that householders must 'take all reasonable steps to ensure that waste is only taken from their homes by operators who are authorised to do so'. This means that the legal responsibility is placed on the householder to ensure that the trader is registered with the Environment Agency as a waste carrier. Householders are urged to take extra care when employing traders or private rubbish clearing operators as the householder could be faced with a fine of up to £5,000 for failing in their 'duty of care' to pass on their rubbish to legal waste operators.
How can we prevent fly-tipping?
Shropshire Council provides collections of various different types of waste, however, some of these services incur additional cost. Alternatively any licensed waste carrier can remove waste, but if using a private company it is important to ask:
- To see their certificate - they must be a registered or an exempt waste carrier to take your waste away
- Where they intend to take the waste - it should only be to an authorised site
- For documentary evidence
If you are a business, you must have a Duty of Care Waste Transfer Note. For further information on Duty of Care see the links on this page.
For general advice on environmental legislation relating to your business a good place to start is the Environment Agency's NetRegs website.
How can the public report fly-tipping and fly-posting?
Fly-tipping should be reported to:
- Shropshire Council: 0345 678 9006
- Report dumped rubbish online
- Report fly-posting online
- Environment Agency's fly-tipping hotline number: 0800 807060
- Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111
Useful Information to note:
- Where the incident took place. Please give as much information as possible to enable us to find the location
- Date, day and time that the fly-tipping took place
- A description of what was tipped and the quantity
- What happened - how many people were involved, what did they look like, what did they do, was a vehicle involved? If so, what were the vehicle details?
- Did anyone else witness the fly-tipping? If so who? (Witnesses may be asked to appear in court.)