Think twice when disposing of your waste !

Newark and Sherwood District Council continue to crack down on environmental offences as residents are urged to be cautious when using third parties to dispose of their waste.  The warning from the District Council comes after a string of FPN’s, and two successful prosecutions, have been issued over the last eight weeks.

During January and February 2022 the District Council’s environmental officers have successfully prosecuted two fly-tipping offenders in court and have also issued 44 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN), including 28 for fly-tips and three for abandoned vehicles. Other offences included breach of community protection notices and failure to produce waste transfer notes.

Councillor Roger Jackson, Chairman of Newark and Sherwood District Council’s Leisure and Environment Committee, explains why we should all think twice when disposing of our waste, “Environmental offences are a stain on our community. Our teams are constantly working to remove any fly-tips and abandoned vehicles while ensuring perpetrators are issued with the rightly deserved punishment in an attempt to discourage repeat offending and to act as a deterrent for others who may be tempted to do the same.  But while we are removing those fly tips, we cannot be doing work elsewhere in the district.”

The District Council have advised that those who ignore the law and fly-tip waste could be fined heavily, up to £50,000, and in severe cases even receive a prison sentence. If the case is taken to the Crown Court the fine is unlimited and could result in up to five years in prison.

Not only is it illegal to fly-tip waste yourself but you are also committing an offence if you use an illegal removal service and the waste is not properly disposed of.

Councillor Roger Jackson continues, “We must all work together to create a cleaner, safer, greener Newark and Sherwood and we urge the public to be our eyes and ears too in reporting suspicious activity and helping identify perpetrators who are selfishly spoiling our local environment.

“I really want to encourage you all to report abandoned vehicles and fly-tips to us so that we can remove them and start an investigation as to where they have come from.

“I want to further encourage all residents to be cautious when removing their waste, especially if paying a third party to do so. If you are ever in doubt visit our website for more information.  Our warning today is that we are cracking down on fly-tipping and will ensure no stone is unturned in trying to find the perpetrators.  Be warned, offenders will pay for their crimes.”

If you have any large items that you want to pay someone to dispose of you must use legitimate removal services that will remove your waste responsibly and legally. The District Council strongly advises residents to check that anyone removing their waste has the required licenses. If your waste is not disposed of legitimately, it will be your responsibility. You can check the valid waste carrier’s license easily through the Environment Agency website.

All businesses that create waste must have a commercial waste disposal service in place, they cannot use domestic bins, public waste bins or take the rubbish home with them. Business owners must also ensure they have waste transfer notes in place and ready for inspection. Failing to dispose of your businesses’ waste responsibly could lead to fines and possible prosecution.

The District Council provide an efficient disposal service aimed solely at businesses. For more details visit: https://www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/tradewaste/

The District Council offer a bulky waste collection service for which there is a small charge, or for larger quantities the District Council can provide you with an individual quote. For more details visit https://www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/search/?keywords=bulky+waste  or for electrical waste visit https://www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/search/?keywords=electrical+waste 

Alternatively, residents are able to use the household waste and recycling centres.

In the case of vehicles any old vehicles should be taken to an authorised scrap yard. It is an offence to abandon a vehicle or parts of a vehicle on any land and a person convicted of this offence can also be issued a fixed penalty ticket for £200 instead of taking court action for this offence. They could also potentially face imprisonment.

Report an abandoned vehicle or fly-tipping here: https://www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/fly-tipping/