Wiltshire Council is building on its award-winning We’re Targeting Fly-tippers campaign to help reduce fly-tipping throughout the county and catch offenders.

Stop at Source (SAS) aims to make people aware of their ‘duty of care’ when they’re getting rid of their waste, particularly if they’re handing it to someone who will take it away for them, such as people who advertise ‘tip runs’ in social media groups.

If the person they give their waste to then fly-tips the waste, the householder could be liable for a £600 fixed penalty notice (FPN) or prosecution.

However, anyone who gives their waste to someone else can help to protect themselves and Stop at Source by remembering three simple things:

  1. Check the waste carriers licence of the people taking the rubbish away.
  2. Take their vehicle registration and details.
  3. Get a receipt.

If the waste is dumped, the householder could then give council officers this information, which would then mean that the person who dumped the waste is liable for prosecution, rather than the householder.

Cllr Nick Holder, Cabinet Member for Highways and Street Scene, said: “Our award-winning We’re Targeting Fly-tippers (WTF) campaign has already taken great strides forward in reducing fly-tipping in Wiltshire and we are catching and prosecuting more offenders than ever before.

“However, we want to build on this through the Stop at Source (SAS) campaign, which warns people of the dangers of giving their rubbish to people who advertise ‘tip runs’ without taking the necessary steps to protect themselves.

“People need to know that if their rubbish is fly-tipped by another person, they could be issued with a fixed penalty notice or prosecuted. However, by checking the waste carriers licence, taking the vehicle details and getting a receipt, they are helping to protect themselves and are helping to Stop at Source.

“Everyone should be very wary of giving their rubbish to people who advertise tip runs – especially in social media groups – as these people can – and do – dump rubbish in our beautiful countryside. Even some licensed collectors have fly-tipped waste, so it is vital that people check vehicle details and get a receipt.”

“We have a zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping in Wiltshire, and with the help of our communities, we can Stop at Source.”

To find out more about fly-tipping prevention and to report it, please see www.wiltshire.gov.uk/fly-tipping