Fly-tipping: The Real Impact of Illegal Waste Clearance

If you didn’t already know, ‘fly-tipping’ is the act of dumping waste out onto street corners, parks, alleys, or anywhere other than were it should be. We assume you probably know already that fly-tipping is an awful idea and should never be done, but did you know what the reasons are?

We’re going to go into details about why not to fly-tip and how we can all work to reduce it as much as possible, and why getting professional waste clearance services will always be superior.

People who fly-tip often do so because it’s free. You can understand the logic – ‘Why should I bother paying for waste clearance when I can simply dump my old furniture out on the side of the motorway?’

But of course the simple truth is, somebody does have to pay for it – it’s just not you. Whether it’s in a few weeks or a few months, somebody, most likely the taxpayer, will have to pay to get it cleaned up. Is it fair for the rest of society to pay to clear one person’s old furniture?

In fact, fly-tipping is estimated to cost the UK up to £600 million a year.

It’s also awful for the environment. The rubbish damages the wildlife in the natural area, meaning animals’ lives are disrupted. Foreign objects being discarded into ecosystems can cause damage to ducks, rabbits and other animals, and objects that are carelessly discarded into rivers and canals can even block the flow of the current and harm fish and plants.

It contributes to Global Warming. When people across the world are working so hard to avoid these calamitous effects, we need to avoid polluting the atmosphere wherever possible.

We’re sure you probably already know this one – but it’s worth recapping what happens when somebody is caught fly-tipping. If caught, you’ll be liable for up to £20,000 in fines or alternatively a 6-month prison sentence.

If you notice fly-tipping in your local area, or when you’re out and about, it’s understandable that you’d want to do something about it. Luckily, you can contact your local council and notify them about the situation. They’ll do what they can to find the culprit – particularly if there’s CCTV in the area, and then arrange to have the rubbish removed.

Some local councils have useful online tools like this one from Wandsworth so you can quickly and easily report when you see rubbish in your area. So remember that next time you consider walking past an overturned trolley in the canal!

The best thing you can do, of course, is not fly-tip. If everyone followed that one simple rule then we wouldn’t have the problem. And we’re sure that you’d never consider fly-tipping in the first place, which is why we know that you’ll be really interested to hear about our wait and load and skip hire services – so you can get all your waste cleared properly, efficiently, professionally and responsibly.