What is fly-tipping?
Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of rubbish or bulky items on land that isn’t licensed to receive it. Fly-tipping can be dangerous to people and wildlife, it pollutes land and waterways and costs the tax payer significant amounts of money to clear away.
Dumping household, industrial and commercial waste is a serious criminal offence. Anyone caught fly tipping risks getting a criminal record, losing their vehicle (if it was used to fly-tip), being fined (up to £50,000) or even being sent to prison. We treat this problem very seriously and will always try to prosecute anyone caught fly-tipping waste in the Wakefield district.
Reporting fly-tipping
You can help us in the fight against fly-tipping by reporting it if you see someone fly-tipping or see fly-tipped waste. In both cases, provide as much detail as possible. Don't try and tackle the fly-tipper yourself.
Where we can't remove fly-tipping
We can’t remove fly-tipping from privately owned land. It is the responsibility of the land owner to remove the waste. However details of the fly-tipping can be passed to our enforcement team to investigate.
We can’t remove fly-tipping from Wakefield District Housing (WDH) land. You can report fly-tipping on WDH land to OneCALL on 0345 8 507 507 or by email:
onecall@wdh.co.uk
You will need to tell us:
- If you know, how many people are involved and what they look like
- What has been tipped - how much and what it looks like
- If you know, details of any vehicles involved including make, colour and registration number
Your information is confidential and will not be disclosed to a third party.
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Ask, record, keep
Everyone has a duty of care when it comes to getting rid of unwanted items and waste. If you don’t fulfil your duty of care, you could get into trouble if someone fly tips your waste.
Unfortunately, some illegal businesses are operating in the district. They will collect your waste (including garden waste, rubble, excess bags, furniture and electrical goods) and then dump it illegally. If waste originating from your property is found to have been fly-tipped, you are obliged to provide us with details of who you gave it to, so that the matter can be taken up with that person directly. If you did not check that the person that you gave your waste to was authorised to accept it, and you can’t provide this information when asked, then you may be prosecuted and run the risk of a £5,000 fine and a criminal record.
Not all waste collectors are acting illegally. There are businesses in the district that can legitimately collect your waste, including the Council.
If you are a householder, you must take reasonable steps to check the people removing waste from your premises are authorised to do so.
Always ask, record and keep information on anyone you are using to dispose of your waste:
- Ask where the waste is going. Ask for a copy of the waste carrier licence. This information can be checked online against the Environment Agency's public register of waste carriers or by calling 03708 506 506. Legitimate businesses will be happy to share this information
- Record any checks you make. Write down or take a photograph of the vehicle registration number, colour, make and model. Record the permit or exemption number, the name of the business and any other information that could be used to locate the company should the authorities need to do so
- Keep a proper invoice and receipt for the transaction which includes the business details of a registered operator
If the waste collector does not produce a license and you cannot find them listed on the Environment Agency website, do not let them take your waste.
Can we help?
We offer a number of options if you need to get rid of some waste items:
Recycling centres – if you have access to your own transport you can take waste to one of the three household waste recycling centres in the district. They are open seven days a week, and are free for all Wakefield residents.
Bulky collections - we offer a bulky collection service costing £21.19 per collection for up to three items.
Skip hire - if you have a few items to get rid of, you can hire a skip from us.
Pass it on – if you need to get rid of items that are still usable, you could pass them on.
Recycling and reducing waste – find out how to reduce, reuse and recycle in the Wakefield district.