Fail to check, risk a £600 fine: Resident penalised after waste given to unlicensed collector

Wiltshire Council is urging residents to be cautious when approached about waste removal, after a resident was issued with a £600 fixed penalty notice (FPN).

The council’s Environmental Enforcement team received reports of bags of mixed household waste being fly-tipped at two locations along the B4553 near Purton. During their investigation, officers obtained evidence linking the waste to a residential address in Croydon, Greater London.

During an interview under caution, the householder explained that he had left unwanted items outside his home when a person approached and asked to take an electrical item from the pile of waste. The resident agreed but insisted that the person also take the remaining waste. He later discovered that all the waste had been taken.

The householder could not provide a name, vehicle details, a receipt or waste transfer note, nor any information that could help identify the person who had taken the waste. As they failed to meet their legal duty of care, a £600 FPN was issued.

Because an FPN is not the same as a court conviction, the individual cannot legally be named.

Cllr Martin Smith, Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “This incident shows how quickly things can go wrong when waste is handed to someone who is not authorised to take it away. Even if a resident is caught off guard by an unsolicited offer to remove rubbish, they still have a legal duty of care to make the right checks before handing anything over.

“Fly-tipping causes real harm to our countryside, creates distress and cost for landowners, and places unnecessary strain on public services. Thanks to the diligence of our officers, we were able to trace the waste back to a person living in Croydon, demonstrating how seriously we take these investigations and our commitment to holding people accountable.

“Our WTF: Stop at Source campaign is clear - if your waste is found fly-tipped, you may be held responsible. A simple check of a waste carrier’s credentials can prevent a costly mistake and ensure waste is managed responsibly.”

Wiltshire Council’s We’re Targeting Fly-tippers WTF: Stop at Source (SAS) campaign focuses on preventing fly-tipping by reminding residents of their duty of care when passing waste to someone else. Unlicensed waste operators continue to target residents - sometimes by knocking on doors without warning or pushing cheap waste removal services on social media, often with little or no intention of disposing of waste responsibly. Choosing the wrong person can lead directly to fly-tipping, environmental damage, and a costly penalty for the resident who handed the waste over.

Residents should always:

• Check the waste carrier is registered with the Environment Agency and ask for their licence number.
• Record the vehicle registration, make, and model.
• Request a written receipt or waste transfer note confirming what has been taken and where it will be disposed of.

Waste carrier registration can be verified on the Environment Agency’s public register: https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers

For more information on how Wiltshire Council tackles fly-tipping, or to report an incident, visit: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/fly-tipping.