Flytipping Duty of Care Campaign

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The 13 councils of Kent are working in partnership to tackle flytipping and waste crime.

Flytipping is a crime with serious consequences and serious penalties.

There should be no excuses for flytipping, with residents and businesses aware of their responsibilities when disposing of waste following last year’s campaign around illegal waste carriers.

Flytipping is dealt with by your local district or borough council.

Residents can continue to dispose of waste either by:

  • Going direct to their local household waste recycling centre.
  • Booking a bulky waste collection from their local district/borough council for a small charge.
  • Hire a waste contractor to dispose of their waste. Before doing so they should ask for a waste carrier licence, where the waste will be disposed and a receipt/invoice.

According to the Environment Agency (EA), over a third of illegally dumped waste is from households which have used unlicensed waste operators.

Illegal waste carriers often target people via social media or local advertising, luring customers in with cheap rates to dispose of unwanted furniture, fridges or garden waste.

However, these unlicensed carriers often simply dump the waste along country lanes or farmers’ fields leaving the bill for removal and disposal with the landowner.

Householders or small businesses found to be using criminals to dispose of their waste can and are being prosecuted by local authorities in Kent and issued with a fine.

KCC operates 18 HWRCs, providing facilities for the recycling and disposal of more than 30 different types of waste. You can check what you can bring to a recycling centre by checking on the council website.

If you are unable to visit an HWRC you can book a bulky collection from your district or borough council or alternatively, use a company that’s properly licensed.

Each year Kent’s household waste sites receive approximately 185,000 tonnes of waste at a cost of approximately £10 million to the taxpayer.

KCC is increasing its investment in waste and is working on plans to open a new HWRC serving the Tonbridge and Malling area, taking the pressure off its other centre in Tovil and Medway’s centre in Cuxton.

It is also looking at ways to increase recycling and re-use of waste brought to its sites.

Householders should protect themselves and the environment.

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