Countryside Alliance - love the countryside

Fly-tipping is the illegal deposit of any waste onto land, i.e. waste dumped or tipped on a site with no license.  Fly-tipped waste generally consists of large items of rubbish that are dumped illegally on land instead of being disposed of properly at a landfill site tip, often referred to as ‘dumping’.

UK waste 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.  Waste can only be deposited at officially authorised sites.  Anyone fly-tipping waste is committing a serious offence.

Most people fly-tip to avoid paying the disposal fee or landfill tax.  Household rubbish is already paid for through council tax, but other waste is not, and a charge generally exists to have this waste removed or even to drop off at a licensed tip yourself.

Fly-tipping fines can be anything up to £50,000 and/or six months imprisonment.  Fines are unlimited if the case goes to Crown Court or up to two years imprisonment, and even five years if the waste is hazardous.  It is also an offence to permit or authorise fly-tipping in land where a Waste Management License is not held.  Where fly-tipping involves the use of a vehicle, the driver can be prosecuted, as can the owner of the vehicle.  The police have powers to seize any vehicle used for fly-tipping.

Getting rid of waste the right way

Any one who produces, imports, carries, keeps, treats or disposes of controlled waste or acts as a broker has control of such waste has a Duty of Care to ensure it is managed properly, recovered or disposed of safely, does not cause harm to human health or pollution of the environment and is only transferred to someone who is authorised to receive it. A breach of the Duty of Care is an offence, and can result in a penalty of up to £5000 on summary conviction or an unlimited fine on conviction on indictment.

Your council is not obliged to remove any bulky household waste, e.g. fridge's, sofas, etc. If you need to dispose of any bulky waste (some local authorities include garden waste as bulky waste), you must contact your council's waste collection service. Some local authorities charge to use this waste collection service. Alternatively, you can take it yourself to your local tip or civic amenity site. Follow this link to find your local authority for more information on waste collection services.

If you use a waste contractor to remove any waste from your property you must ensure they have a valid Waste Carrier License (WCL). These licenses are required by businesses that transfer waste. Failure to use a company that holds a Waste Carrier License could result in you getting a large fine or conviction. If you use a contractor make sure you ask to see a valid Waste Carrier License – do not use contractors which don’t have one.