Whilst illegally dumped rubbish looks bad, it is also dangerous and expensive to remove.
We’re working in partnership with councils and landlords across Wales to launch ‘Not Up My Street’ a new national campaign against Fly-tipping.
We’re urging tenants to do the right thing with their unwanted household items. It’s easier than you think, and cheaper than a fine.
Discover easy ways to dispose of your unwanted household items in our waste information pack.
Take a look at our campaign branding through our campaign toolkit.
Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of waste on land or in water. It includes liquid as well as solid material. This can apply to domestic waste, commercial or industrial waste, from black bags to tyres, mattresses to building rubble. Anybody caught fly-tipping on a small scale can be issued a Fixed Penalty Notices. This gives the offender an opportunity to avoid prosecution by the court, by paying a sum of money (in this case, for up to £400). More serious cases carry fines of up to £50,000 or even imprisonment.
Fly-tipping spoils our enjoyment of our towns and countryside but can also pollute the environment and is harmful to human health and to wildlife. It undermines waste businesses who operate within the law. Problem areas may suffer from a lack of inward investment. It can impact house prices as well as keeping businesses and visitors away.
Householders have a legal responsibility to make sure that the waste from their homes is disposed of properly. Householders can be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £300 if they give their waste to somebody who then goes on to dump the material.
Always check they are a licensed waste carrier with Natural Resources Wales www.naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/CheckWaste
Wales has long been top in the UK when it comes to recycling and is ranked third in the world. However, our research has found that it isn’t always easy to do the right thing when it comes to disposing of your waste. Here’s a few ways you could help.
Slow fashion not fast fashion! Charity shops can be a good way to find clothes at a fraction of the price of new ones.
Ensure you have the correct bins and bags to recycle as much waste as possible reducing black bags, and keep a note of when your bins will be collected.
Save some money and the environment by taking your smaller household items that can be repaired to a local repair café.
Have a takeaway coffee cup that you can reuse to reduce single use waste. Many cafes now also offer discounts for using reusable cups.
Local authorities are responsible for dealing with most types of small-scale fly-tipping on public land. But Natural Resources Wales is responsible if incidents are large in size, involve organised crime, contain hazardous waste or have the potential to harm human health or to cause environmental damage. It is the responsibility of landowners to deal with any fly-tipping on private land.
If you see any public instances of Fly-tipping, please report it through Fly-tipping Action Wales.
If you see a waste crime being committed, you can call the police (non-emergency) or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
