a warning on waste disposal to all skip hire customers

We always go on about how important it is to make sure the person who disposes your waste is 100% legitimate. This means you need to check whether they carry a valid waste transfer license – certification from the Environment Agency that they are qualified to handle waste.

If someone decides to get hold of someone to dispose of their waste who isn’t in ownership of the right paperwork, the results can backfire enormously. What looked like a cheap as chips way of getting rid of some old rubbish from your house can eaisly turn in to a trip to court. YOU are responsible for your waste – and this means if it is found on an illegal flytipping site, that it is your fault.

This story from a Doncaster newspaper highlights this, in a recent trial involving a woman who probably didn’t know the importance of sourcing the right waste disposal experts,

“A woman who paid an unlicensed waste carrier to shift her rubbish has been ordered to pay over £300.

Jennifer Shaw, 28, of The Parade, Hoyland, pleaded guilty to a householder’s duty of care offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 at Barnsley Magistrates Court on November 14.

In March, Miss Shaw gave someone £10 to take her household waste away. But the rubbish was found later by a Barnsley resident, dumped in woods close to Greenacres in Hoyland.

It was reported to Regulatory Services officers and evidence recovered from the waste revealed Miss Shaw as its owner.

When interviewed, Miss Shaw confirmed that she had not made checks to ensure the person she gave her waste to was licensed to carry and dispose of it properly. The person responsible for the fly-tipping was not traced.

Miss Shaw was ordered to pay a total of £325, including the council’s costs.

Coun Roy Miller, Cabinet Spokesperson, Development, Environment and Culture (Operations), said: “It is a criminal offence to give your waste away to someone without making reasonable checks to ensure they are authorised to take it away.

“Often waste taken by unlicensed people is dumped, and householders can be held to account for this, as well as those who commit the actual fly-tipping.

“Householders must be very careful about who they give their waste to, and should always make sure the person has a waste carrier’s licence.

“They should keep a record of the licence number, and make sure they get a receipt showing what was taken. If possible, they should try to record the registration number of the vehicle that takes the waste away.”

The prosecution was brought by Barnsley Council’s Regulatory Services department.”

Source: Doncaster Free Press