Fines for irresponsible residents and businesses

Nov 18 2008 By Jack Abell

Homeowners and businesses will face fines of up to £5,000 if they fail to check people who offer to take away their waste as part of a huge crackdown on fly-tipping by the council.

Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC) are clamping down on illegal dumping across the county in order to reduce the amount of rubbish left lying in road sides.

Part of this campaign will involve making people responsible if they do not check whether people offering to take their rubbish away are registered with the council.

David Rounding, an enforcement officer of waste management with BCC, said: "If we find rubbish dumped in the streets and we can identify where it has come from, the person whose rubbish it is will be held responsible for it as well as the person who dumped it there.

"Illegal dumpers see rubbish piled up outside someone's house and offer to dispose of it for a price. People often see this as convenient and let them take it, thinking it will be disposed of properly. The next thing that happens is the rubbish is simply dumped at the side of the road. We need people to start checking that these people are registered to take their waste. If they are not, then the person who paid them to take the rubbish away could face prosecution and a fine of up to £5,000."

An illegal dumping clampdown was launched by BCC five years ago when it was costing taxpayers up to £500,000 every year to clear and dispose of rubbish dumped in the road.

Since then, fly-tipping has been reduced by a third and there have been more than 115 successful prosecutions, saving more than £250,000 in collection costs.

However, the council is now stepping up its efforts in order to lessen the problem even more.

As well as making homeowners and businesses responsible, they will run a series of road shows to inform people on how to prevent fly-tipping, and make businesses aware that they have a legal responsibility to make sure their rubbish is disposed of correctly.

Martin Tett, chairman of the joint waste committee for Bucks, said: "Fly-tipping is a blight on our county, towns and villages. We hope that by re-launching the campaign it will remind residents of what they can do to help prevent fly-tipping."

People caught in the act of dumping rubbish illegally can be arrested, fined up to £50,000 and get a criminal record.