Let’s S. C. R. A. P. Fly Tipping
Article submitted by new member, Kruna Vukmirovic
Around two-thirds of fly tips are household waste. Items and bags left beside street bins, recycling banks, on the floor of communal bin areas, or outside closed Household Waste Recycling Centres and charity shops constitute fly tipping. All households and businesses have a legal obligation to dispose of waste correctly and by using authorised carriers.
Fly tipping is not just damaging to the environment, people and animals, but it also has a wider socio-economic impact as it devalues the local area, attracts vandalism and other anti-social behaviour. It is expensive to landowners, as well as council tax payers as it causes an enormous financial burden each year of around £820,000 for clearing up fly tips on public land in Hertfordshire and £50 million in England as a whole.
The lack of compliance is staggering as over 50% of UK businesses do not comply with the law and 90% of those are small businesses with less than 50 employees. It is important to bear in mind that the lack of understanding of the waste disposal law does not relieve you from your obligation and will not stop you receiving a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £400 or face an unlimited fine in court.
All fly tipping should be reported online to either North Herts District Council or Stevenage Borough Council, regardless if you saw it in progress or have just discovered it. You can report fly tipping to the police on 999 if you see it in action. Always stay safe and never put yourself at risk when reporting a fly tip.
Hertfordshire Fly Tipping Group have developed a S.C.R.A.P. code to help you with your waste disposal. S stands for suspect all waste carriers and only use the professional ones that will be able to answer all your questions. C means that you should always check your carrier registration details and verify them on Environment Agency website. R is refuse any unsolicited offers to have your rubbish taken away. A urges you to ask how your rubbish will be disposed of and seek evidence of this. P stands for paperwork which must be obtained including proper invoices, waste transfer notes or receipts with a description of the waste being removed and the waste carrier contact details. The Hertfordshire Fly Tipping Group’s leaflet can be found here
There are other options to help you deal with your waste in an environmentally safe way. Stevenage Borough Council website or North Herts District Council website will provide information on which items can be collected. They also provide further options for recycling certain items at Neighbourhood Recycling Banks or Household Waste Recycling Centres and offer a collection of bulky items directly from your home.
You can also consider selling or donating your unwanted items using your local charity shops or online websites such as eBay, Gumtree, Freecycle or social media community groups.
Important links
hertfordshire.gov.uk/flytipping
