Sefton Council is once again reminding residents of their rubbish responsibilities or risk prosecution after tonnes of household garden waste were flytipped in Southport.
Officers discovered the waste, which includes heavy tree stumps and garden cuttings, on the former Kew Park & Ride site, following the removal of a travelling community from the land.
It’s understood members of the community had approached residents on their doorstep offering cut price garden maintenance, before illegally dumping the waste on the council’s land – potentially leading to unwitting residents being heavily fined or even prosecuted.
While many residents hire third parties to take away household waste and large bulky items from their properties, most do not know the rules and regulations that cover these types of waste disposal.
There are a number of things you should do to avoid unscrupulous individuals:
– Ensure that the individual or firm is registered with the Environment Agency as an official waste carrier
– Avoid accepting random doorstep collections from individuals or firms
– Keep the name and address and vehicle details of the individual or firm who dispose of your waste
– Ask for a proper invoice or receipt
– Get more than one quote and expect to pay a reasonable fee
If flytipped waste is traced back to your property, you could be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £400 if you cannot properly identify who you used to get rid of your waste. More serious instances could resort in prosecution.
There are many reputable firms who can disposed of your waste responsibly and the Council offer a collection service if people wish to dispose of bulky items, alternatively, items in good condition can be donated to local charities. You can find details on our website.
Each year Sefton’s cleansing teams have to remove thousands of tonnes of rubbish from alleyways across the borough, costing the Council more than £800,000 a year to dispose of properly, these funds could be used to support vital local services.
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “People illegally dumping rubbish costs the council hundreds of thousands of pounds a year to clean up and dispose of.
“No matter if its a small bin bag or a huge pile of garden waste, it’s still flytipping and you will be fined heavily for irresponsibly disposing of your rubbish.
“This includes hiring unlicensed third parties – if you cannot identify who you have hired, you may well be liable for a fine or face prosecution. Make sure you check who you are hiring to dispose of your waste.
“Please dispose of your waste in the proper fashion and make Sefton a cleaner and greener place to live, work and visit.”
If any residents have any concerns regarding flytipping or wish to report an offence, they should contact us on 0345 140 0845 or report it via our website www.sefton.gov.uk.
It will cost the council at least £2,400 to remove the dumped garden waste from Kew Park & Ride.
Residents can also check the legitimacy of a licensed waste carrier by visiting https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers or call the Environment Agency hotline 03708 506 506
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