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Refuse - flytipping

Duty of Care for Householders

Residents should be aware that under new legislation, they have a Duty of Care to ensure that any rubbish not collected from them as part of a Council service, must be collected by a business licensed to carry waste.

Householders not using a properly licensed waste carrier risk a fine of up to £50,000, should their waste end up as fly tipping.

To assist householder, the Environment Agency, has created an online register of waste carriers.

Concerned householders can also contact the Environment Agency for an 'instant waste carrier validation check' on 08708 506506

We remove and correctly dispose of over 500 Fly Tipping (illegal dumping of rubbish) incidents per year. Our average time of removal is 2 hours per incident. If you have any details concerning an observed fly tipping incident, please contact the service supervisor. The City Council will attempt to prosecute for all cases in which a witness is willing to testify.

The Council treats this problem very seriously and will prosecute anyone caught flytipping waste.

In an effort to reduce the number of flytipping incidences, the Council provides a special refuse collection for large items

The flytipping of controlled waste is a serious criminal offence which carries a fine of up to 20,000 (unlimited if indicted to the Crown Court) or an offender can even be sent to prison. It is important to realise that it is also an offence to permit flytipping.

Flytipping is often associated with dumping waste from vehicles. In this case the person controlling the use of the vehicle can also be prosecuted, which means that it is possible for a prosecution to occur when only the vehicle, not the driver, is identifiable.

The Police also have the powers to seize vehicles used for flytipping.

If you discover flytipped waste after the tippers have left, please follow these simple Do's and Dont's:

• Do not touch the waste: flytipped waste can be dangerous - it may contain syringes, broken glass, asbestos, toxic chemicals or other hazardous substances.
• Visually inspect the waste: try to determine what the waste consists of and how much there is.
• Take note of its exact location: and also, whether it is in or near water.
• Do not disturb the site: there may be evidence that could help identify the culprits and lead to their prosecution.

If You See Someone Flytipping:

If possible, please make a note of:

• the day, date and time you saw the tipping.

What you saw:

• how many people were flytipping and what they looked like
• what they were actually doing
• any vehicles involved - their make, colour and registration number

Where were you when you saw the flytipping:

• what kind of view you had
• how far away you were
• weather and light conditions

What was tipped:

• how much?
• what it looked like

Remember - Don't Put Yourself At Risk!

Please phone 0191 3018669 to report any flytipping you have seen.

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Other pages you may find useful

• Commercial waste - special trade collections (PID 522)