Fly Tipping Increased 300% Over Lockdown

We were saddened to hear that during the lockdown period cases of fly-tipping increased by around 300%. If you’re the victim of fly-tipping then the cost of removal will ultimately fall down to you, even though it wasn’t your waste to begin with. That’s why it’s so important that you ensure your waste carrier is licensed.

An important thing to mention here is if you’ve fallen victim to fly-tipping then your local council actively encourage reporting it to them, although the cost of removal may fall to you, they’ll still want to investigate and prosecute the fly-tipper to prevent any future cases.

Why did fly-tipping increase?

As a result of the whole country going into lockdown it meant that local tips were also shut. As everyone around the country suddenly found themselves with more spare time, the nation’s households took this opportunity to complete a few DIY projects of their own. As a result of this the demand for waste removal increased, giving way for unlicensed waste carriers to take advantage. These unlicensed waste carriers exploited this increase of demand and disposed of people’s waste illegally.

How to know if you’ve hired an unlicensed waste carrier?

Unlicensed waste carriers are more likely to dispose of waste illegally to avoid some of the charges of disposing of the waste correctly. When unlicensed waste carriers dispose of waste via fly-tipping the consequence to the environment and pollution is huge. If these companies dispose of the waste on public land then the local Council Tax Payer will fund the cost to clear it up, but if the waste is disposed of on private land, the landowner has to bear this cost themselves.

It can be difficult to know if the waste carrier you’ve hired are licensed so here are some tips to prevent your waste being disposed of incorrectly:

Don’t be afraid to ask questions – you have a duty of care and a respectable waste carrier won’t mind being asked reasonable questions about where the waste will be taken
Ask for details of their waste carrier registration – you can check this by searching Environmental Agency’s Public Register of Waste Carriers or you can call 03708 506 506
Record the vehicle registration numbers of any vehicle used by a private waste carrier to take your waste away – the more information that can be provided to investigators, if you have fallen victim or hiring an unlicensed waste carrier, the more likely it is they’ll be caught and prosecuted
Get more than one quote and expect to pay a reasonable fee – the fees that legitimate waste carriers have to pay to dispose of the waste that they collect, is not cheap. An offer which is a low price often suggest that corners are being cut.

Most importantly, always ask for their waste carrier number and if in doubt check their details with the Environment Agency, you could face a fine of up to £5000 if you don’t and your waste ends up dumped illegally.

Licensed Waste Carriers

As the largest licensed waste carrier company in Essex, we experienced numerous calls regarding fly-tipping on private land, our dedicated team worked extremely hard to ensure the residents of Essex waste was recycled and disposed of correctly.

We want to say a huge thank you to our experienced and dedicated team here at Dunmow Group, without them we wouldn’t be able to offer our waste disposal services at an affordable price.