The law requires anyone dealing with waste to keep it safe and make sure it’s dealt with in a responsible way. This is called the duty of care.
For example, you have the duty of care to make sure your waste goes in your bins and is not dumped on a public street.
If you pay for a company to collect and dispose of your waste and they are not licenced, you may be fined £300.00. This fine is called a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN).
Collectors of waste need to hold the appropriate licence. This ensures that they promise to dispose of the waste in a safe and responsible way.
Unfortunately, some waste collectors fly-tip the waste they collect to avoid paying fees.
This may cause pollution and environmental damage. Fly-tipping is costly and fly-tip removals are paid for by honest Council Tax payers in Harrow.
A breach of any parts of the duty of care carries an unlimited fine in the magistrates’ court or the Crown Court.
What can I do to make sure waste collectors are licenced?
There are steps you can take to make sure waste collectors at your house are licenced:
- Ask them to provide you with their full address and telephone number
- Ask to see their waste carrier licence issued by the Environment Agency
- Visit the Environment Agency website for a free Waste Carrier Validation Check
- Take a note of their vehicle's registration number
- Ask for a full invoice and receipt
- Ask what is going to happen to your waste and confirm that it is going to be disposed of in a responsible manner.