COUNCIL bosses have urged residents to avoid being caught out and unwittingly involved in fly-tipping by using licenced waste disposal agencies.

Residents are responsible for any waste you give to someone else to dispose of, even if you're not handling it yourself.

There are unlicensed waste carriers across the borough who aren't authorised to take your rubbish. Many of these people will turn to fly-tipping to dispose of the rubbish, rather than disposing of it properly.

However, this could mean that you could be punished for the fly-tipping as it is an offence to give waste to an unlicensed carrier.

To help residents to stay safe while disposing of household waste, the council has released a guide to make sure residents don't fall victim to fly-tipping.

“If you give your waste to anybody you should always ask for their full name, address and to see their waste carriers' licence.

“Note down or take a photo of their licence number and check if they have a valid waste carriers' licence with the Environment Agency. If a waste carrier isn't licensed, refuse their service.

“If you're using a private contractor to remove your household waste you can carry out extra checks to make sure it’s being properly handled. After checking they're licensed we recommend that you also:

  • Research to make sure they're genuine and reputable

  • Ask where they're going to take your waste

  • Note down the registration number of any vehicle removing waste from your home

  • Ask for a receipt of their service. If you don't, and your waste is fly-tipped, you could be charged with a duty of care offence.”

If you suspect the waste carrier is unlicensed you can report an unlicensed waste carrier to the council. To do that, click here.