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London’s fly tipping problem

Fly-tipping is illegal, harmful for the environment and not to mention, a health hazard. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) estimates that on average clearing fly-tipped rubbish from the streets costs local councils £4 million a
month.

According to the research by DEFRA, household waste (including leftover DIY material and abandoned electrical goods such as fridges) account for half of all fly-tipped rubbish in
England.

To summarise:

Anyone who is arranging for a contractor to go and clear waste, your own responsibilities under the duty of care means you are required to take the reasonable steps to ensure that people removing waste from your premises are authorised to do so.

Reasonable steps to take:

- Ask the waste carrier to provide you with their full address and telephone number prior to the arranged collection.

- Ask to see their waste carriers license issued by the environmental agency before they remove any waste.

- Either contact the environmental agency on 08708 506 506 for a free instant waste carriers validation check, alternatively you can check the register on their website.

As well as uninformed householders, organised criminal gangs also carry out fly-tipping, operating illegal waste disposal services for money.

There are two main ways of reporting fly tipping, depending on how much waste has been dumped. For large amounts – call the Environment Agency’s free 24-hour hotline, 0800 807060. For smaller amounts you need to call your local council. Alternatively you can inform the police, especially if you are concerned that a particular vehicle is
being used for fly-tipping.

Local councils now have more powers to penalise illegal fly tipping and duty of care offences under the Clean Neighborhoods and Environment Act 2005. Fixed penalty notices can be issued if people do not comply with their duty of care obligations. They could also be convicted and face up to five years imprisonment, a fine of up to
£50,000, or worse, both.

For a cleaner and healthier London please ensure you are taking the right steps to reduce fly-tipping.

Please check out our attached spreadsheet which quantifies the extent of the fly tipping problem across our city.

One Response to London’s fly tipping problem

1. Steve Jones says:

   October 18, 2011 at 12:03 pm

   People fly tip near me all the time, it is disgusting. I hate to see bags of rubbish just laying around the streets or especially near the forested areas where I live. It is a shame people just can’t manage their waste better! Nice post again

   Reply