Fly-tipping - can you help
Fly-tipping within Bucks and the Wycombe district has been an ongoing issue for many years. By definition, it is the illegal dumping of waste on land that doesn’t have a licence to receive it. It can be dangerous, pollute land and waterways and costs us all significant amounts of money to clear away.
Last year alone, more than five hundred incidents of fly-tipping, costing the tax payer over £47,000, were reported within the Wycombe district. While this may sound a lot, this is a significant reduction from the previous year. Wycombe alone has seen a 30% reduction in fly-tipping since 2008 and nearly 60% since 2003. Examples of fly-tipping include:
- Old and disused furniture
- Appliances
- Household waste
- Green waste.
While it’s steadily getting better due to the hard work of the Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire and those officers who investigate and prosecute individuals and organisations, it is still a big problem on Red Kite land. Garage blocks, bin stores, communal areas and recycle centres all fall prey to individuals who don’t take responsibility for disposing of their waste responsibly and it is you as householders that have a duty of care to make sure your waste is disposed of correctly.
How can I help?
The average fine for people found guilty of fly-tipping is £1299. Could you afford to pay this or take the risk? Ultimately, you pay for other people’s waste because your rent and service charges fund clearing it up. So how can you, as a householder, make sure that your waste is disposed of correctly?
- Use your household waste and recycling bins appropriately
- If you have excess waste, save it until your bin is emptied or dispose of it for free at a Household Waste Recycling Centre
- Do not use the local recycling centres as a means to ‘dump’ any unwanted waste. These facilities are for recycling. Make sure that correct items are deposited into the appropriate banks and not simply left
- If you have any rubbish taken away from your property by a tradesman, you must check they are a registered waste carrier. It is an offence to pass waste to someone who isn’t authorised to carry it and you may be liable to prosecution.
We need your help to stop fly-tipping. If you see it happening in your community, please let us know. You can call us on 01494 476100. Don't forget that your rent and service charges pay for clearing it up, so it's really important that it's stopped.
If you have any questions about your waste and recycling collections, please contact Wycombe District Council on 01494 421415 or email wastecleansing@wycombe.gov.uk.