Fly Tipping
FLY TIPPING
Did you know?
That you could be fined £300 if fly tipping is traced back to you? It is our duty of care to investigate who takes our rubbish and if they are licensed to dispose of it at reputable sites. How do we know if they are reputable – you can check on naturalresources.wales/check Waste or by calling 03000 653000 open 08.00 – 18.00 hours weekdays and charged at national rate.
Did you know?
Leaving donations outside a closed charity shop is also classed as fly tipping by local authorities? You risk a fine by dropping off your donations outside of normal opening hours.
Over 70% of fly tipped waste in Wales contains household items and rubbish. Fly tipping is a serious crime which poses an immediate threat to the environment, animals and local communities. If house holders do not carry out the necessary checks and their waste is found fly tipped, they can be fined £300 and risk prosecution for not following their Household Waste Duty of Care.
There has been an increase in illegitimate waste carriers posing as registered household waste removal services on social media. These people often advertise low prices to entice customers and dupe people into believing they are licenced services who will dispose of household waste legally and responsibly. In reality, the collected rubbish is later fly-tipped in fields, country lanes or along roadsides, putting the householder who paid and arranged for the service at risk of being fined £300.
While this has remained a concern for many years, it is feared that this waste crime has become even more common since the outbreak of COVID-19, with many rogue traders taking advantage of lockdown restrictions and householders who feel too anxious to leave their homes during these unprecedented times.
What does Household Waste Duty of Care mean?
The law places a legal duty on householders in Wales to ensure that they are disposing of unwanted household rubbish legally and responsibly.
This means that anyone arranging third party household rubbish collection should always check that the person or company they use is an authorised waste carrier with a registered licence. This information is readily available on the Natural Resources Wales website (above) and is easily accessed. If householders do not make these necessary checks and their waste is found fly tipped, they are at risk of a fine and criminal record or even prosecution.
It is also recommended that all householders request a receipt, record details of the vehicle involved and ask where their waste is going before accepting a household rubbish removal service.
If you have witnessed or seen a case of fly-tipping you can report it to the Vale of Glamorgan on www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/flytipping.
When reporting fly-tipping please ensure you tell us:
• What type of waste?
• How much waste?
• Location of the waste?