Fly-tipping: how to make sure your rubbish doesn't end up dumped
- If your waste is fly-tipped by someone you paid, you can be fined too — even if you didn't dump it yourself.
- Before booking any clearance or rubbish removal, check that the company is a registered waste carrier with the Environment Agency.
- Be wary of cash-only offers, no paperwork, and "man with a van" adverts with no business details, address or registration number.
Why it's your problem too
Most people paying for rubbish to be removed assume that, once it leaves their property, it is no longer their concern. That is not how the law works.
Under the householder's duty of care, you are legally responsible for making sure your waste is passed to someone authorised to take it. If the person you paid dumps it in a layby, a field or behind a shop, the fly-tipping offence is on them — but you can be prosecuted for failing in your own duty of care. Fines can run into thousands of pounds.
Local authorities across Hertfordshire and North London investigate fly-tips as a matter of routine. Letters, delivery notes, receipts and packaging found in the dumped waste are frequently traced back to the household it came from.
How to check a waste carrier
The Environment Agency keeps a public register of every business legally permitted to transport and dispose of waste in England. Any legitimate clearance company should appear on it — and should be willing to show you their registration number without hesitation.
You can search the register free of charge on the Environment Agency's public register. A few seconds of checking is enough to tell you whether a company is legitimate. Swifty Clearances is registered as waste carrier CBDU600569, and we are happy to provide that in writing.
Warning signs of a rogue operator
Illegal waste operations don't usually announce themselves. They look like ordinary, friendly businesses on social media, in classified ads, or on leaflets pushed through doors. A few patterns worth watching for:
- Cash only, no receipt. Legitimate businesses provide paperwork — usually a waste transfer note.
- No business address. A mobile number and a first name is not enough. Ask for a company name, website and waste carrier number.
- Unusually cheap quotes. Proper disposal costs money. If a price is dramatically lower than everyone else's, something is being skipped.
- Pressure to book immediately. Legitimate operators will let you think about it.
Get Say No to Fly-Tipping free
If you want to go further, our founder Harry Georgiou wrote a short book on exactly this subject — how the householder duty of care works, what the regulations require, and how to avoid accidentally funding illegal waste. Send us your email and we'll forward a copy.