Feature
FIGHTING BACK AGAINST FLY-TIPPERS! Annual statistics on fly-tipping incidents from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) released last year make for grim reading. The report shows that fly-tipping incidents remain high with 998,000 reported in 2017/18. Fly-tipping incidents have risen by nearly 40% in the last 5 years. The cost of clearing up sites across the UK has risen significantly too, continuing to burden local authorities and individual taxpayers, diverting funds from other key areas of local government spend.
Reducing fly tipping has been part of HIPPO’s mission from the start."
Installation professionals have a responsibility, on behalf of their customers, of ensuring that any waste generated on a project is disposed of responsibly. Homeowners are ultimately responsible but will clearly wish for BiKBBI members to help them do the right thing and ensure they avoid the potentially substantial fines for fly tipping. There’s always the additional benefit of taking care of the environment we live in! During 2017-2018 the cost of large fly-tipping incidents was £12.2 million, compared with £9.9 million the year before, that’s an increase of over 23%! Local councils work hard to identify those responsible, reduce clear up costs and protect local environments. Offenders could be faced with a £50,000 fine or even sentenced with up to 5 years in prison. But new analysis reported on by the BBC claims nobody has faced the maximum penalty at magistrates' court since new guidelines were introduced five years ago. Councils are struggling with budgets for the time consuming and laborious investigations, leaving many fly
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tippers unpunished. However, despite this local authorities carried out 494,000 enforcement actions in 17/18. Many installers and residents are looking for cheap alternatives to getting rid of their rubbish and this is where the rogue trader has become a growing blight within the waste industry. Fly tippers who choose not to use a legitimate waste site will save themselves thousands every year by not paying for the safe and responsible disposal of waste. But many are unaware that if a rogue trader is used, it is the
resident that remains responsible for the waste and could be liable for fines and sentences from the local council. It is down to you as an installer to engage a reputable company like HIPPO to get rid of the waste. HIPPOWASTE continues to battle fly-tipping numbers across the UK and has spent over 15 years dedicated to disposing of waste safely and legally with a wide range of waste solutions for installers and residents. Gareth Lloyd-Jones, MD at HIPPOWASTE said: “Reducing fly tipping has been part of HIPPO’s
