How to Stop Fly Tipping on Private Land
If someone fly tips on your land, you are responsible for clearing it.
Becoming a victim of fly tipping can be a serious burden. After removing the fly-tipped waste and reporting the incident, it’s vital to take precautions to prevent it happening again.
This article will explain the laws around fly tipping on private land, and how you can prevent fly tipping from happening on your property.
What is fly tipping?
Fly tipping is the illegal deposit of waste onto land that does not have a license to accept it.
Fly tipping can contribute to an area appearing run down and unsafe. It may also spur others to dump waste in the same area, leading to a buildup of unsightly and hazardous waste.
You can be imprisoned and fined up to £50,000 for fly tipping in the UK.
Fly tipping on private land law
If waste has been dumped on your land, you will be responsible for the appropriate removal of the waste.
If you find waste on your property, follow these steps:
- Be cautious — some waste may be hazardous. We don’t recommend opening up bags or drums.
- Record as many details about the incident as you can and photograph the waste. This will aid the investigation.
- Report the incident through the gov.uk website
- Arrange for disposal of the waste with a registered waste carrier
- Keep full details of your clearance and disposal, including documentation and cost.
Reporting fly tipping
Report the incident through the gov.uk website. If waste is dumped on public land, many local councils will launch an investigation and clear the waste free of charge. If the waste is hazardous, the Environmental Agency may step in to oversee the investigation.
For private land, the council may charge you a fee to collect the waste. Many larger items are blacklisted and won’t be removed at all.
For prompt, affordable removal of fly-tipped waste, we recommend using a waste disposal company. Companies like Reston Waste offer fly-tipping clearance amongst a range of waste removal services. Professional companies can handle light and bulky waste, and will even recycle as much of it as possible.
How to prevent fly tipping
If someone has got away with fly tipping on your property, they are likely to reoffend. Prevent recurrence with these tips:
- Install barriers or gates
- Install CCTV
- Install motion-activated lights
- Keep skips inaccessible to others
- Check your insurance cover for fly tipping
- Lock all gates and other entrances into your property
Fly tipping statistics
The following statistics relate to a one year period between 2018 and 2019 in the UK:
- There were approximately 1 million fly tipping incidents dealt with by UK councils.
- A third of all fly tipping incidents were equivalent to a ‘small van load’.
- 3% of incidents were ‘tipper lorry’ size. Just these incidents alone cost local authorities £12.9 million in clearance costs.
- The most common place for fly tipping to occur is on roads.
If you’ve fallen victim to fly tipping on private land, use an experienced waste management business for swift, hassle-free removal. The team at Reston Waste have over 20 years’ experience in waste management services, including fly tipping clearance for customers in Wimbledon and London. Utilising a dedicated fleet of vehicles, we can remove waste from your property, no matter the size. Plus, we aim to recycle as much of this waste as possible.
To enquire about our services, get in touch with our team today.
