Swindon resident fined for using unlicensed waste collector

Wiltshire Council has invested in more enforcement staff and new technologies to catch fly-tippers in the act

A household has been fined £400 after paying for an unlicensed operator to dispose of their domestic waste.

The litter was dumped in a layby in Winterbourne Monkton, near the Avebury World Heritage Site in Wiltshire.

An inspection by environmental enforcement officers found evidence that related to the Swindon resident.

Councillor Caroline Thomas said the Council issued more fixed penalty notices (FPN) and prosecuted more fly-tippers in 2023 than ever before.

"We take fly-tipping very seriously here in Wiltshire," added the councillor.

Obtain a receipt

The council fined the resident because they could not demonstrate they had "sufficiently taken steps to ensure their waste was being disposed of legitimately by a registered waste carrier".

The person admitted they had not requested to see a waste carrier's licence, nor did they record vehicle details or obtain a receipt, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

If they had been able to give council officers details of who took their waste from them, they could have avoided the fine and the investigation would have been targeted towards the person who dumped the waste.

'Be extra vigilant'

Ms Thomas, cabinet member for transport and street scene, said the council had invested an extra £150,000 a year into tackling the "environmental crime".

"With Christmas approaching, we urge householders to be extra vigilant when paying someone to take any waste away and to make sure they check they have a valid upper tier waste carrier licence; note their vehicle registration, make and model; and get a receipt or waste transfer note."

She said anyone who reports a fly-tipper could receive a reward of up to £200 in high street vouchers "if the information leads to the successful prosecution of an offender or the payment of a FPN".