Criminal records on offer for illegally dumped waste
13 Jul 2010
THE cost of having building work done at home could mean a potential criminal record and a £5,000 fine if careful checks aren’t made about where the building waste materials are being disposed of.
Since November 2005 householders have been required by law under their ‘duty of care’ to check that anyone removing waste from their house or property is authorised to do so.
Failure to ensure that waste is passed onto a registered carrier of waste and disposed of at a licensed disposal site is a criminal offence and can lead to a fine of up to £5,000 if proven that the homeowner hasn’t undertaken the relevant checks required under the duty of care.
Speaking recently, Cllr Roger Arthur, Cabinet Member for Operational services at Horsham District Council, said:
“Currently there’s an increase in the number of home improvements in the Horsham District and coinciding with this we are seeing an increase in commercial fly tipping. Incidents have included the illegal disposal of old sinks, pipes, rubble, doors and windows as well as much more at various places across the District. Horsham District Council will seek to prosecute anyone who allows commercial fly tipping to happen, which includes the homeowner as well as the perpetrator.”
As part of the duty of care, homeowners should make themselves familiar with the legal ways in which to dispose of waste properly. Advice is available from Horsham District Council.
If residents are undertaking work themselves and have waste to dispose of they can take it to a Civic Amenity Site, the locations of which can be found on the Horsham District Council website www.horsham.gov.uk , or pay for a special collection from Horsham District Council. Please call 01403 733144 for details. Private skip hire is another option.
If homeowners have a tradesperson undertaking work on their property it’s down to the property owner to check that the tradesperson is registered to carry waste away from the property or they have made suitable provision for the appropriate storage and disposal of waste such as a skip from a registered carrier of waste.
Residents who engage the services of another person or company to dispose of the waste must check they are licensed to take the waste away and if no waste carrier’s licence number can be provided home owners are asked to not allow the company to take the waste away.
If a waste carrier's licence number is given, this can be checked it is valid by going to www.environment-agency.gov.uk (Public Registers pages) or calling 08708 506506. Registered carriers can be checked by registration number, company name, town or post code.
In addition to the above checks, homeowners should:
- Always record the registration number of the vehicle removing waste
- Ask for a receipt on headed paper
- Ask to pay by cheque, as payments can be traced if waste is fly tipped
Alongside this, the public is being encouraged to report any incidents of fly tipping. Horsham District Council is offering a reward to anyone who provides information which leads to the prosecution of anyone caught.
To report fly tipping, call Horsham District Council on 01403 733144 or email hopoast.depot@horsham.gov.uk and give the following details:
- Date, time and location of the incident
- Vehicle registration number
- A description of the vehicle
- A description of the person/s alleged to be fly tipper/s
Horsham District Council is already using overt surveillance in a bid to catch people illegally disposing of waste.
CONTACT: Richard Morris, Communications Manager
Email: richard.morris@horsham.gov.uk