We often read of large fines being issued to people who have failed to ensure that their waste was disposed of by a licensed waste carrier. In law, it doesn’t matter if you have acted in good faith: if illegally dumped waste can be traced back to you and you can’t provide evidence that you had it legally removed, then you will be fined.
Last week, there was an interesting twist on such a case that was reported in the Eastern Daily Press. In this instance, the fly-tipped waste was traced back to a garage in King’s Lynn. The owners of the garage were able to prove that they had acted responsibly and hired a licensed waste carrier. So, what had happened?
The garage had acted in good faith, but the waste disposal firm had seemingly dumped the waste. When Breckland Council’s enforcement team investigated, they discovered that the licensed waste disposal firm had subcontracted the work to a van driver who advertised services on Facebook and neglected to carry out any checks or keep any contractual records.
The waste carrier was fined £1900, and had to pay the clearance costs, as they were legally responsible for the waste at the time it was dumped. But the culprit who committed the act of countryside vandalism went unpunished and is may well still be offering disposal services on Facebook and Gumtree.
There was a feature in the Guardian recently about criminal gangs who run waste disposal services and even illegal dumping sites through a complex web of ‘independent vans’ advertising on social media.
The best way to avoid your waste inadvertently winding up fly-tipped is to use a well-established and reputable waste disposal firm, and ensure that they have a waste carriers licence. Then, even if they cut corners (as in the case above) you will not be fined.
At WT Skips, we have all the correct paperwork (and decent ethics) so using our services means you can guarantee that all of your waste will be disposed of legally and responsibly. To order a skip, use our online booking form or give us a call on 01493 668118