What to Do If Someone Fly Tips on Your Private Land

So, what’s fly tipping? Put simply, fly tipping is the illegal disposal of waste onto land that doesn’t have a license to accept it. So, that could be the roadside, a public place or, as the case may be, your land. 

If it turns out to be the latter you will be understandably frustrated, so in what follows, you will find a guide detailing exactly what to do if someone has fly tipped on your private land.

Examine the waste before you touch it!

As soon as you see the waste, the chances are you will want to attempt to move it straight away. Our advice: don’t. Given that you have no idea who tipped the waste, you also have no idea what sort of waste they’ve tipped. Anything from syringes and glass to oils and hazardous chemicals could have been left, so it’s vital that you don’t put yourself at risk of serious injury.

Once you have gathered as much information as possible, remember to cordon off the area of waste as best as possible until you have cleared it. This is the appropriate measure to avoid any accidents.

Record it

If you didn’t see the event take place yourself, then it’s worth trying to ask around to see if there was an eyewitness; an account could be very useful for the environment agency. 

If this isn’t possible, instead of rifling through the waste, try and gather as much information you can about it without touching it. You will want to try and find out: roughly what time the waste was tipped, what sort of waste there is, exactly where the waste is located and the size of the waste area.

Although it can be extremely aggravating to see someone fly tip, it’s always best to avoid confrontation. Given that that person is acting illegally and, of course, selfishly, there’s no way of predicting how they might react. The best course of action: watch from a safe distance and try and note down any number plates or basic descriptions.

Report it

Once you’ve gathered as much information as possible, you will need to report it to the appropriate people. You might be able to get some help and advice about how to clear the waste from the Environment Agency or your local authority, so it’s best to try both groups.

Give over all of the details of the incident that you have to your chosen authority, allowing them to carry out an investigation. 

Arranging clearance of the waste

Unfortunately, it will be up to you to clear the waste so, with this in mind, it’s worth finding a licensed, reputable company who will be capable of dealing with the incident responsibly.

At Brown Recycling we provide waste management and recycling services for Stoke-on-Trent, Crewe and the surrounding areas, helping to reduce waste sent to landfill and achieve our “zero to landfill” target. To learn more about the materials we can recycle and how our services could benefit you, simply contact our professional team today.