Are you thinking about moving home or office and not wishing to take all of your things with you?
It’s amazing how much we can accumulate, over the years, and it’s always good to have a bit of a declutter. While disposing of your furniture can feel like another big job you could do without, if you don’t do it responsibly, it can cause you big problems.
What is fly tipping?
Have you ever been driving along and just seen a big pile of what could have been airer poles sticking out from between bits of fabric, maybe on top of a mattress, next to a fridge? These are all things that need to be disposed of properly, but often people try to skirt that responsibility by just dumping them somewhere for someone else to deal with. According to government statistics, the problem is getting worse, with over 1million incidents of fly tipping in 2020/21.
Fly tipping is different to litter: it includes household, industrial, commercial and other controlled waste such as garden refuse and fridges and mattresses.
What is the penalty for fly tipping?
If you are caught fly tipping then you can be fined up to £50,000. In addition to this, your vehicle could be seized and you could find yourself with a criminal record and paying for clean up fees. In short, it’s not really worth it.
What happens if you hire someone and they fly tip?
You are still responsible for how your items are disposed of, even if you’re not the person transporting them and you can still be fined if they do not dispose of your household waste in the right way. You have a duty of care to ensure that you have transferred your waste to someone who is authorised to receive it.
How do I ensure a contractor is authorised to dispose of waste?
There are several things you can do – and we recommend that you are thorough with this, so as to protect yourself from prosecution and uphold your responsibility to the environment. These include:
- Asking to see their registration. This should start with the letters CBDU and be followed by a set of numbers. Ask if you can take a photo of this, for your records.
- Double check with the Environment Agency that the company is registered to transfer waste. You can contact them on 03708 506506.
- Don’t pay cash. Ask for an invoice/receipt and ensure that this paperwork has their business details on.
- Record the details of the vehicles picking up your waste, such as registration and the make and model.
- Make sure you take an accurate description of the waste.
- Keep all your records for two years.
Remember, if something seems to good to be true, it probably is.
If you would like to talk to us about disposal and clearance, we’d be more than happy to help – and we are happy for you to check us out first. Please get in touch.