A mock fly-tip at Bircherley Green shopping centre in Hertford today (Monday 20 March 2017) is designed to highlight the types of waste that get dumped in just one part of the county, East Hertfordshire, in a typical week and to remind the public that they have a legal ‘duty of care’ to check they are only giving waste to a registered waste carrier.
The fly-tip has been created by East Herts Council, in conjunction with environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, to help publicise the start of the national #CrimeNotToCare campaign.
NFU Hertfordshire representative Will Dickinson said: “We welcome this campaign. Latest figures show fly-tipping incidents in Hertfordshire are running at 40 per day* – and these are just the cases that are reported. The true extent of the problem is much greater.
“Hertfordshire’s beautiful countryside must not be used as a dumping ground. This waste is unsightly, it can pose a danger to wildlife and livestock, pollute watercourses and contaminate land. It is costing farmers and landowners time and money to clear up.
“We would urge the public to ensure their household waste is taken away by a registered carrier and that they get a receipt. If not, they run the risk of being prosecuted if any dumped waste is traced back to them.”
NFU member Sally Newton’s farm near Ware is regularly targeted by fly-tippers. She said: “We have had fly-tipping in our ditches and those ditches flow into the water courses, so they can become contaminated. That has included oil from cars that have been dumped.
"The knock-on impact is phenomenal and that’s why I think fly-tipping is the scourge of the countryside at the moment.
“If someone offers to take your waste away for free, or cheaply, and they haven’t got a waste carriers licence you can be sure it will end up in a gateway somewhere.”
It is easy to check if someone is a registered waste carrier. Call the Environment Agency direct on 03708 506 506 for an instant free check or go online.
*According to the latest Defra statistics, there were 14,426 reported fly-tipping incidents in Hertfordshire in 2015/2016.