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....given to unlicensed collector
Wiltshire Council is urging residents to make proper checks before handing waste to anyone offering collection services, after a Swindon couple were issued with a £600 fixed penalty notice (FPN).
Environmental Enforcement Officers attended the scene after receiving a report that fly-tipped household waste found in a bus stop in Avebury. During their investigation, officers obtained evidence, which enabled them to trace the waste back to a couple living in Swindon.
When interviewed, the couple admitted they had paid £50 in cash to a man they saw collecting scrap metal in the area. They had allowed him to remove a washing machine and dryer from their property, along with bags of general household waste. They admitted that they did not take any details from the individual and made no checks to confirm he was a registered waste carrier. The bags of household waste were later discovered dumped illegally.
Householders have a legal duty to ensure their waste is disposed of correctly. This includes any waste that is passed to a waste carrier. Failing to make the required checks can result in enforcement action - even if someone else physically dumps the waste.
Because the couple failed to meet this duty of care, Wiltshire Council issued a £600 FPN, which has since been paid. As an FPN is not the same as a court conviction, the people involved cannot legally be named.