New financial penalties for fly tipping households

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey has announced that new financial penalties of up to £400 for householders who fail to properly give their waste to a licensed carrier are a step closer.

Clearing up fly-tipping incidents cost councils in England £57.7 million in 2016-17, with approximately two thirds of all fly-tipped waste containing household waste. As such, 88 per cent of councils agreed that a new fixed penalty notice would help tackle fly-tipping having issued 69,000 on-the-spot fines for fly-tipping offences last year.

Alongside the £400 fine for householders moving a step closer as legislation is laid in Parliament, the government has also issued guidance to ensure councils use these new powers proportionately and make clear fines should not be used as a means of raising revenue. The new penalties, which are expected to come into force early next year, will make it easier for councils to tackle fly-tipping and provide an alternative to putting cases through the courts which can be a lengthy and costly process.

Coffey said: “Fly-tipping is an unacceptable blight on our landscapes. Many people do not realise they have a legal duty to look up waste carriers and we want councils to step up and inform their residents. We must all take responsibility and make sure our waste does not end up in the hands of criminals who will wilfully dump it and these new powers will help us to crack down on rogue waste carriers.”