Fly-tipping has got worse across the UK in recent years and North Somerset has had its share. The dumped washing machines on country lanes around Banwell, Hutton and Kewstoke, the builder’s rubble on the levels, the bags of household rubbish in laybys near Cheddar. A lot of that gets there via people who thought they’d save twenty quid by paying a stranger for a “tip run”.
Why “tip runs” don’t actually work
It’s illegal to charge for clearing waste from someone else’s property and then take it to the local Household Waste Recycling Centre as personal waste. The HWRC is funded by your council tax for residents disposing of their own waste, not for traders dodging proper transfer fees. Council staff at the gates of HWRCs are getting better at spotting commercial loads.
So the unlicensed “tip run” guy has two real options once he’s loaded your rubbish into his van:
- Pay the proper commercial rate at a licensed transfer station – eating most of his profit.
- Dump it somewhere quiet.
You can guess which one a lot of them choose.
The law: the fine comes back to you
Under the duty of care provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the person who produced the waste (you) is responsible for making sure it’s passed to someone authorised to take it. If it gets fly-tipped, the council can trace the rubbish back through old bills, addresses on paperwork, and any number of clues – and the fine can land on your doorstep, not the carrier’s.
Fines for fly-tipping can run to thousands of pounds, plus a criminal record. The cheap option suddenly isn’t cheap.
How to check a waste carrier is legitimate
- Ask for their waste carrier registration number.
- Look it up free at environment.data.gov.uk.
- Check the registration covers the type of waste you’re handing over (lower tier for “non-construction” / upper tier for commercial waste).
- Get a written receipt for the work that lists what they’ve taken.
That’s it. Five minutes of admin keeps you out of trouble.
Where licensed waste goes
When we take a load away, it goes to a licensed waste transfer station where it’s sorted, weighed and disposed of through the correct channels. Recyclables are recycled, electricals go through WEEE processing, scrap metal is salvaged, and only what’s genuinely waste ends up in landfill. We get a transfer note showing exactly where each load went, and we pass a copy to you on request.
The bottom line
Saving £20 by using “some bloke with a van” can cost you a four-figure fine and a criminal record. A licensed waste carrier costs a little more on the day, gives you a proper receipt, and leaves you completely clear of liability. It’s honestly the easiest piece of due diligence you’ll ever do.
We’re a fully registered Environment Agency waste carrier covering Weston-super-Mare and the whole of North Somerset. Receipts as standard. Ring us on 07796 271022.