Research by the Hertfordshire Waste Partnership has found that about two thirds of the fly tipping incidents reported each year are as a result of ‘normal household waste’ which has ‘leaked’ from established waste disposal routes.
The findings come in work which has helped shape the launch this month of a Hertfordshire-wide campaign to reduce the number of fly tipping incidents across the county. And, the campaign has been endorsed by the county’s chief constable who commented that it is surprising how much fly tipped waste comes from “normal households”.
Hertfordshire residents are being warned to remember the duty of care (picture: St Albans – shutterstock)
The campaign, organised by the Hertfordshire Fly Tipping Group, encourages Hertfordshire’s residents and businesses to follow the campaign’s S.C.R.A.P. code, which provides a check list to follow when arranging one-off collections of waste.
Household
Fly Tipping Group chairman and Hertfordshire Waste Partnership development manager, Duncan Jones, commented on the research findings of incidents arising from household waste that has ‘leaked’ from established routes.
He said: “Leaving waste items on the street for others to take, outside charity shops and next to street litter bins are all examples of fly tipping. These contribute to the thousands of fly tipping incidents reported in Hertfordshire each year and in 2016/17, cost tax payers over £1 million to clean up and investigate.”
In terms of prosecutions, Mr Jones noted that since April 2017, 35 people have been prosecuted for fly tipping offences in Hertfordshire and over 100 fixed penalty notices worth £300 have been issued.
Hertfordshire’s police and crime commissioner, David Lloyd, said that he had committed funds to educate residents about their duty of care when disposing of waste and emphasised that “The public has a duty of care to ensure that their waste is disposed of responsibly and failure to do so could result in an unlimited fine.”
‘Surprising’
The county’s chief constable, Charlie Hall, said: “It is surprising to see how much fly tipped waste comes from normal households” and he warned, “The police will continue to work alongside local authorities and will not hesitate to use our resources and skills to help prosecute serious and serial fly tippers.”
The campaign will also be reminding Hertfordshire residents that if they see fly tipping in progress they should call 999 immediately, as well as reporting the incident to their local authority online.
Hitchin: residents leaving goods for charity shops are contributing to flytipping, says the Hertfordshire fly tipping group (picture: shutterstock)
The Hertfordshire Fly Tipping Group (FTG) is a multi-agency taskforce including the Boroughs, Districts and County Council as well as the Police, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Herts Fire & Rescue, the Environment Agency, the National Farmers Union and Keep Britain Tidy.
SCRAP message
The SCRAP message to those in the county is to:
- Suspect all waste carriers; do not let them take your waste until they have proven themselves to be legitimate.
- Check their waste carrier’s registration details, then verify them by searching the Environment Agency or by calling 03708 506 506.
- Refuse unsolicited offers to have any rubbish taken away.
- Ask what exactly is going to happen to your rubbish and seek evidence that it is going to be disposed of appropriately.
- Paperwork should be obtained. Make sure you get a proper invoice, waste transfer note or a receipt for your waste removal – this should give a description of the waste and provide the waste carrier’s contact details.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
