Christmas crackdown on fly-tipping

This year, a number of people have already been added to ‘Santa’s naughty list’ after being caught littering, fly-tipping or not using a registered waste carrier – don’t think the council won’t continue to crackdown over Christmas!

Whether you’re having a clear out or finishing off home renovations before the big day, or thinking about dumping excess rubbish and last year’s waste in the New Year – don’t be tempted to fly-tip. You should also be wary of people cold calling to say they can dispose of your waste – residents and businesses must check they are using a registered waste disposal operator, or you could be liable for a fine if they dump it instead.

Those prosecuted so far this year were either issued with a fixed penalty notice of £75 for littering or £400 for fly-tipping. Penalties can also include a Community Protection Notice, a police caution, prosecution and seized vehicles.

Ian Fullstone, Acting Head of Paid Service, said: “Fly-tipping often occurs when rogue waste carriers illegally dump the waste that they collect to avoid proper disposal fees and maximise their profits, unfairly undercutting legitimate businesses. We want residents and businesses to be aware of the dangers of using ‘tip run’ style social media adverts in particular. It’s up to all of us to ensure that we use registered operators to dispose of our waste. It takes a few seconds to check online and in addition, legitimate operators will be more than happy to confirm their waste carrier licence number. If they can’t or won’t confirm their number, do not use them.”

Please follow the SCRAP code:

• Suspect all waste carriers until they have provided their licence.
• Check their licence details on the public register for waste carriers: Environment Agency waste carriers database
• Refuse unexpected offers to take your waste away.
• Ask how your rubbish will be disposed of.
• Paperwork – get an invoice or receipt for the waste they're taking, including their contact details.

Ian Fullstone added: “We treat this issue very seriously and work really hard to take action against offenders to keep our towns and villages free from the blight of fly-tipping. Our enforcement action continues to increase year on year as unfortunately fly-tipping incidents continue to rise, and we strive to prosecute all those responsible.”

As part of our Christmas crackdown campaign, you can help us by reporting any illegal dumping you discover, which may lead to us identifying and finding the perpetrators.  

For more information please visit www.north-herts.gov.uk/fly-tipping