Most waste in the UK is relatively easy to get rid of. There are more and more recycling plants each year that help recycle waste properly and efficiently, with the environment in mind. But what about bigger electrical appliances and commercial waste? They end up being dumped in the streets and on private land by illegal fly-tippers.

With fly-tipping on the rise every year, we need to look at why illegal waste dumping is such a problem and ways that we can combat it and dispose of our business waste correctly. Keep reading to learn all about fly-tipping and how you, as a business, can avoid it. 

What is fly-tipping?

Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of waste. It can be either liquid or solid, and it can range from a single bin bag to large quantities of waste dropped off by trucks. Tipping a mattress, bin bag full of garbage or electrical items in the street can cause a local nuisance and makes the area look untidy and rundown. The larger quantities of fly-tipping can involve several truckloads of a variety of construction and demolition waste being tipped on different types of land.

Fly-tipping differs from littering in that it involves the removal of the waste from where it was created with the deliberate aim of disposing of it unlawfully. There are many different reasons that people fly-tip. Financial gain or financial saving is one of the main reasons why people do it. But it can also be a lack of waste disposal facilities or access to them, laziness or an approach that someone else will clean it up.

Uncontrolled illegal waste disposal can be hazardous to the public, especially if it contains toxic substances or asbestos. They can get into the waterways and damage soil quality. Fly-tipping is a serious criminal offence for which you can be prosecuted. You could get unlimited fines, imprisonment or an order to deprive rights to the vehicle used to perform the offence.

The number of fines issued increased by 6% to 2,052 in 2018/19, with the value of total fines increasing to £1,090,000 (an increase of 29%). That means on average each fine would cost around £500 if you were charged with fly-tipping. 

How fly-tipping is growing in the UK

Fly-tipping has always been a massive problem in the UK, but we are seeing an increase each year with fly-tipping incidents. For the 2018/19 year, local authorities in England dealt with over 1 million fly-tipping incidents, a rise of 8% from the 998,000 reported in 2017/18. That’s 1 million separate incidents of waste being left on our streets and public land in a year. 

This can pose a threat to humans and wildlife; it can damage the environment and spoils our towns and countryside. On top of this, areas subject to repeat fly-tipping may suffer declining property prices, and local businesses may suffer as people stay away.

Anyone can be a fly-tipper, from household waste to commercial waste, but common perpetrators are usually rogue traders or illegal waste disposal operators. These groups fly-tip to avoid paying a fee to dispose of the waste, or because they do not have the correct license to carry the type of waste, they are disposing of. 

You may have good intentions of disposing of your waste correctly. Still, if you unknowingly give to one of these groups, you could be facing a fine for passing your waste to an unlicensed waste carrier who is fly-tipping.

How Fresco can help stop fly-tipping

Your business has a legal responsibility to safely store, sort and dispose of any waste it produces. This could be leftover food waste and plastic waste, to electronic waste and hazardous waste. You must take steps to ensure that your waste is being disposed of correctly and not being fly-tipped by an unlicensed company. Failure to comply could result in severe penalties, as well as your companies reputation on the line. 

Here at Fresco Environmental, you can trust us to dispose of your business waste properly and swiftly, leaving you with nothing to worry about. We can recycle numerous waste streams, including general waste, polystyrene, metals, confidential waste/secure shredding, WEEE, food waste, liquids, solvents, clinical waste, sludges and hazardous waste.

We encourage waste segregation and keep to our zero waste to landfill vision so that precious resources will still be available in the future. We don’t just take away your business waste, but we support clients by helping to develop responsible business policies and practices, integrating them into the strategies and operations of businesses. We aim to take away corporate headaches associated with waste management, and we consult and manage several areas.

If you would like more information about how we can help you recycle your business waste and help eliminate fly-tipping, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0151 423 9900 or head to our contact page.