‘Residents have been reminded to dispose of unwanted items responsibly after a fly-tipper was fined for leaving furniture in a car park.
East Devon District Council said it had fined a person £200 after they had been proved to have dumped a flat-pack wardrobe, desk, chest of drawers and a sofa in Orchard Car Park in Seaton.’
Find out more at BBC News
‘Fly-tipping is on the rise – latest data shows local authorities in England dealt with 1.15 million fly-tipping incidents last year, an increase of 6% on the previous year.
Farmers are running a campaign to tighten laws around fly-tipping – because they have to pay to clear it up and it costs them thousands of pounds.
Beauty spots have been ruined by waste being dumped- there’s been an increase in waste dumped on bridleways and public footpaths. Have you seen waste being dumped and reported it? What did the council do?’
You & Yours podcast – BBC Sounds
‘Landowners and farmers are being urged to help the Environment Agency stop waste crime as new research shows only 12% reported the most recent incidents which affected them.
Networks of organised criminal groups operating across the country are targeting privately owned property and land, particularly in rural locations, to dump rubbish collected through illegal means.
To ensure it has the best possible information to identify and stop the culprits, the Environment Agency is appealing to landowners and farmers to report every incident to its 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60. Reports of any known or suspected illegal waste activity can also be made anonymously to Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.’
Find out more at GOV.UK
We all have a role to play to reduce waste crime at work or at home, by only giving our waste to people licenced to take it. Always check via the Public Register (GOV.UK) before you arrange for someone to take your rubbish. If in doubt, don’t use them.
Message from the Clean Devon Partnership:
‘We are a member of the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG) and work with other organisations with the collective aim to tackle fly-tipping. It is chaired by Defra and includes representatives from central and local government, enforcement authorities, the waste industry, the police and fire service, private landowners and the devolved administrations. The NFTPG has recently published a new website https://nftpg.com/ where you can find various practical tools and advice documents to support local authorities and other organisations. If you would like to find out more about our aims, members or membership criteria, please contact flytipping@defra.gov.uk.’
‘The public are being urged to be mindful of wildfires in the hot weather.
Devon and Somerset Fire Service said people could prevent the risk of a wildfire by not having campfires or barbecues in the countryside and to discard cigarettes carefully.
Devon and Somerset Fire Service said wildfires were often caused by human activity, either deliberate or accidental, and on rare occasions could be started by a lightning strike.
It added only 10 to 15% of wildfires happened on their own in nature.’
‘A Devon not-for-profit organisation is asking people to stop fly-tipping after a recent rise in the amount of unwanted items being left outside its shop.
EDDC said on its website fly-tipping was a serious crime and it always looked to catch and prosecute those committing it.’
‘A warning against fly-tipping has been issued by North Devon Council after a woman was ordered to pay a total of £2,200.
The council said dumping waste could result in fines up to £50,000 at Magistrates Court, an unlimited fine at higher courts and up to five years in prison.
“If you employ someone to take your waste away, always check they have a proper waste carriers licence and take their name, address and vehicle details.”
‘Single-use vapes will be banned from the shelves of all shops from tomorrow (Sunday 1 June) thanks to a government blitz on sale and supply.
The new crackdown makes it illegal to sell single-use vapes at corner shops and supermarkets, putting an end to their alarming rise in school playgrounds and the avalanche of rubbish flooding the nation’s streets.’
Find out more at Gov.uk
‘The waste industry is rife with rogue traders and a target for organised crime groups who weave a web of deceit, using online trading platforms to attract customers, offering low prices and stealing business from law abiding businesses.
Slowly we have made progress and now have agreements in place with most of the main trading platforms to take down any traders convicted of waste crime offences or who are trading illegally as waste collectors or advertising an illegal waste site.
Often, we find these illegal traders use the Environment Agency logo to convey legitimacy, but we never give permission for our logo to be used by any traders, legal or otherwise. This is not allowed under any circumstances and shouldn’t be viewed as an endorsement of that business.’
‘Waste crime is a scourge impacting communities, the economy and the environment.
The effects of these criminals are far reaching and often long lasting. Legitimate waste management businesses lose out to criminals, who undercut their prices because they are not operating within the law. Taxpayers lose out as public money is used to stop and bring those responsible to justice and clear up the mess they leave behind. Private landowners face huge bills to clear illegally dumped waste from their land and premises. The environment suffers from the pollution dumped waste can cause, impacting people and wildlife.
Across the country our council enforcement teams work hard to tackle fly-tipping, while we work hard to stop large scale waste crimes. We often work together, sharing intelligence and supporting each other on operations to target and stop offenders’
Find out more about the Environment Agency’s work at Gov.uk