8
Mar
2017
By Calvin at 14:30 GMT, 8 years ago
At about this time each year we get to learn about the latest figures for fly-tipping and yet again London has managed to achieve six of the top ten worst fly-tipped places in the country.
I’m not surprised that London features high in the table because there are more than eight-and-a-half million of us densely packed into just 606 square miles (approx 30 mile east-west and 20 mile north-south) and we create an awful lot of household waste each year – 22 million tonnes of it! And then there’s the building, demolition and commercial waste, which is a great deal more.
Some people are blaming the rise in fly-tipped rubbish on the costs being imposed by councils to use their waste facilities and the government’s landfill tax.
Here’s the charges imposed on residents and traders by my council in Hillingdon who need to take waste to the civic amenity site in Harefield
Building/DIY waste
People bringing larger quantities* of building/DIY waste will be asked to pay the full trade waste rate for disposing of these materials. The current full trade waste rate is £160 per tonne, with the minimum charge of £16 for up to 100kg.
*Larger quantities can be defined as anything over 2/3 small bags of building waste. [That’s not a lot of bags for us DIY enthusiasts, is it?]
If building waste/construction waste is mixed in with other waste, the entire load will be charged for.
Trade waste - only accepted at the Harefield site
The Harefield site accepts vans and cars and also permits the disposal of trade waste materials. If you wish to deposit your trade waste here you will be given a receipt which will show the type of waste, quantity and cost of disposal. You must keep it for a minimum of two years.
If disposing of trade rubbish in a van, commercial vehicle or trailer, please report to weighbridge office..........
Payments note: The site can only accept credit/debit cards as payment for trade waste. Cash and cheques are no longer accepted.
Landfill taxes have also risen. You pay landfill tax on top of your normal landfill fees if your business gets rid of waste using landfill sites. Currently the standard rate is £84.40 per tonne.
Based on these tipping costs it is not surprising that the dishonest, irresponsible cash-only so-called ‘builder’, ‘gardener’, ‘roof repairer’, ‘driveway tarmac applicator’ thinks nothing of fly-tipping, because it saves him so much money.
So what can we do as individuals to help reduce the amount of fly-tipping?
Don’t employ casual builders and gardeners of the type that get most of their business by cold-calling at your door. Use a trader that has been recommended to you by a friend or neighbour or is a member of a trade association.
Use a licensed scrap dealer to take away your old washing machines etc. If you leave your machine on the front drive at night hoping it will be taken away by the scrap fairies then you are doing a great disservice to those honest people who pay for and hold a licence for this activity.
If you witness fly-tipping you can be of great service to your community by informing the council (who may inform the police).
The information you will be asked to supply will include:
- A full description of the incident including the location and whether it is ongoing
- Vehicle registration numbers or identifying names or phone numbers on the sides of the vehicle being used
- The names and address of the person or persons tipping the waste. It is accepted that you are highly unlikely to know these personal details and you should not put yourself at risk in attempting to acquire them.
- A description of the waste and whether you witnessed it actually being dumped. In some cases the waste might contain clues, such as addressed envelopes, which may help locate the source of the waste. However you are advised not to touch the waste as you will not know where it has come from and you will not know if it contains any hazards.
Please note that the council clear fly-tipped rubbish from council land, such as roads, footways, lanes, public car parks, green spaces and council housing estates.
Fly-tipped rubbish in rivers and other natural watercourses should be reported to the Environment Agency. Rubbish tipped in or around the canals and tow paths should be reported to the Canal and River Trust
The owners of private land are responsible for the removal of fly-tipped rubbish and the council will only step in and remove waste if the site owner is in default of a legal notice requiring them to remove it. The council will recharge the costs to the landowner. That being said, evidence will be gathered to discover who deposited the waste and actions will be taken through the courts when possible.
Fly-tipping in England and Wales is dealt with under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, as amended by the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 and the same legislation is used in Scotland and Northern Ireland with some local differences.
The penalties for some incidents of fly-tipping can be harsh, but will depend upon on the seriousness of the offence, its impact on the local environment and the cost of cleaning it up and dealing with any pollution. In some instances the offender’s vehicle can be seized to pay for the clean-up.
