Anyone who produces waste, including householders, has a duty of care under section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to ensure that it is disposed of properly and is only transferred to someone who is authorised to receive it. Anyone can be held responsible and ultimately prosecuted if their waste is found illegally fly tipped.
Householders using private contractors to remove household, garden or construction waste must take all reasonable precautions and use due diligence when passing over their waste. You are advised to:
- Ring the Environment Agency on 03708 506506 or visit their website to check whether a company is registered to transfer waste
- Ask the person who collects your waste to see their registration – it should start with CBDU, followed by a set of numbers. Take a photo if possible
- Don’t pay cash if possible. Ask for an invoice or receipt including the business details, and pay by a secure payment method or cheque, so payments can be traced if the waste is fly tipped
- Record any details of the persons(s) collecting the waste and vehicles used, such as make, model, colour and registration mark
- If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. If you’re hiring a skip, the average cost should be around £150
- Never agree to cold callers offering any type of home improvements work, roofing, gardening services, tree surgery or household waste removal (or check they are registered before agreeing to anything)
A waste carrier registration is normally needed for the following categories:
- All building and associated trades;
- Landscape gardeners, tree fellers and surgeons;
- House clearers;
- Retail establishments and;
- Scrap metal dealers.
Alternatively, residents can dispose of their waste at Knowsley’s two Household Recycling and Waste Centres run by the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority at Wilson Road, Huyton and Depot Road, Kirkby. For further information, visit the TIps and Recycling page.
Businesses must also take all reasonable steps to avoid waste being fly tipped and ensure that any person collecting the waste has the correct authorisation to do so. In addition to the points above, you must also provide an accurate description of the waste when it is transferred to another person and keep all records for a minimum of two years. Failure to comply with the duty of care requirements is a criminal offence and could lead to prosecution.