Fly-tipping; a report by Wiltshire Councillor Bridget Wayman

Fly-tipped rubbish by Philip Bragg
Fly-tipped rubbish by Philip Bragg

The following article is a report circulated by Councillor Bridget Wayman who is Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Waste.

I want to comment on littering and fly-tipping as there seems to have been a recent surge in this illegal activity.

I hope there will be an effort in the new Council to step up its efforts in educating the small percentage of people who litter. Large numbers of people volunteer their time to carry out village litter picks. This year in the Great British Spring Clean in Wiltshire more than 3200 volunteers took part in more than 142 events collecting over 1882 bags of rubbish. In addition, the Council spends £2.5 million of tax-payers money litter-picking –  £.5m more than last year.

Fly-tipping is an offence, with a maximum penalty of £50,000 fine or/and 12 months imprisonment. For small scale tipping a Fixed Penalty Notice (currently £75) can be issued plus legal costs and compensation. Householders and businesses must understand their obligation to dispose of their waste legally.

If you are having rubbish cleared from your property or some hedges cut, always check that it is removed by Authorised Waste Carriers. If it is traced back to the householders address you could be prosecuted or fined for breaking the law. Always ask to see your contractor’s Waste Carrier Licence; if they don’t have one, don’t use them !!

Keep a record of any paperwork they give you, dates, name and telephone number. Report anyone who is not registered to the Environment Agency – 03708 506506. You can also call the EA on the same number for an instant waste carriers validation check or do this on-line.

If you see any fly-tipping, you can report it on the Wiltshire Council website or the MyWiltshire phone app. The Council will only remove it if it is on Council land or the highway. If it is on private land, unfortunately it is the responsibility of the landowner to remove it.

As an alternative, householders are able to obtain a Van Permit from the Council which allows residents to transport larger loads to the Household Recycling Centres. Staff at the HRCs are trying to prevent commercial vehicles from using the HRCs illegally and will question a van or pick-up driver, or a car with a trailer, but if you have a Van Permit you are able to use the HRCs. The Van Permit Scheme will give you 12 permits a year free of charge. Apply on the Wiltshire Council website. If you do not own a van or pick-up, you are able to nominate a friend or family member’s vehicle, but you will need to ask them for the vehicle registration details first.


Posted

in

by

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *