Waste away: government cracks down on fly-tippers

The government is cracking down on fly-tippers, the scourge of many of our towns, cities and rural roadsides.

 Scales Road Mattress Mountain by Alan Stanton is licensed beneath CC BY-SA 2. 

We’ve all observed it, haven’t we? Piles of rubbish, spoil and detritus dumped at the side of the road, a blight on the landscape and a possible overall health hazard to boot.

It is certainly a large issue. Final year, local authorities dealt with 852,000 incidents of fly-tipping, a 20% improve on the year before.

The clearance charges also mount up, reaching an estimated £45.2 million in 2013/4. Waste of money, waste of sources, waste of time, and…

Waste of space

Some men and women blame the improve in fly tippers on the lack of legal waste internet sites and strict limits on household rubbish collection.

Laws on the right disposal of waste are also much more stringent. But even though it is not constantly low cost or simple to get rid of your rubbish, is that really an excuse for dumping it on the street?

Rubbish excuse

Household rubbish is prime of the fly tipper’s list. White goods, such as fridges and washing machines, are also often dumped, along with developing rubble and garden rubbish.

Fly tippers generally offload their rubbish at the side of the road, but footpaths, bridleways and back alleys are also favourite spots for the illegal dumpsters.

Tipping point

Now the government has had sufficient and has granted enforcement officers the energy to quit, search and seize cars they suspect are involved in fly-tipping.

The seizure powers also apply to other waste crimes such as breaches of the waste duty of care, operation of an illegal waste website and carrying controlled waste with out authorisation.

Dan Rogerson, resource management minister, says:

“Fly-tipping blights communities and poses a risk to human well being, which is why we are supporting the seizure of automobiles suspected of involvement in this pernicious crime.

“The removal of their indicates to dispose of waste illegally will act as a higher deterrent to persistent offenders.”

Cleaning power

The new powers comply with tougher sentencing recommendations on fly-tipping that have been introduced final year of up to 12 months in prison or a fine of up to £50,000 – or each.

It is also worth bearing in mind that you can be convicted of a waste crime if you are the registered keeper of a vehicle that is utilised to fly-tip, even if you have been not in the automobile.

You can even be in problems if the waste is yours, but is dumped by an individual else.

Private difficulty

It usually falls to the regional authority to investigate fly tipping, whether or not it’s on public or private land. Nevertheless, the local authority will only clear rubbish from public land.

So, if someone dumps their waste on your home, you will have to sort out – and pay for – the clean-up your self.

The Atmosphere Agency can tackle waste crime, but is normally called-in for bigger or a lot more serious cases. It will only clear up when there is an instant danger to the atmosphere and public well being.

We generate about 177 million tones of waste every single year in England alone. That is a lot of rubbish – and it is up to all of us to dispose of it responsibly.

Waste away: government cracks down on fly-tippers