Householders must take responsibility for their waste - or risk
fines!
As of November 2005 all householders in England have a
responsibility, under the ‘Duty of Care’ waste regulations, to
ensure that their rubbish is taken away by authorised carriers
only.
Householders not taking reasonable measures to do this could face
fines of up to £5,000.
These changes (part of the Clean Neighbourhoods and
Environment Act) aim to reduce the thousands of tonnes of
household waste being fly-tipped each year. National statistics for
2008/09 show that there were over 1 million incidents of
fly-tipping; much of which was dumped by operators posing as
legitimate waste carriers. Registered waste carriers, other than
Forest Heath District Council, can now be found online thanks to a
new ‘waste carrier register’, set up by the Environment
Agency.
Fly-tippers rely on people not asking questions, and not checking
for registration – but now all householders have a responsibility
to ask those questions, and check for that registration.
Rogue waste carriers can make huge sums of money by charging to
take household rubbish away illegally, before dumping it over the
nearest hedge. If that rubbish is then traced back to the household
it came from, the householder could now be fined.
All household waste can still be disposed of at local
Household Waste Recycling Centres
(HWRCs) free of charge. For residents unable to take bulky
waste to the HWRC themselves, we offer a
Bulky waste collection service for a nominal charge.
However, for those using other waste carriers to remove any
type of household, garden or construction waste, it
is stongly advised that the following checks are made:
Further information and
advice
If you require further information or wish to report an incident,
please contact Environmental Services on:
Telephone: 01638 719284
Email:
sort-it@forest-heath.gov.uk
For further information on is available on Waste Responsibilities
the following website: