Flytipping - A Criminal Scourge

Great compassion and understanding of the mixed emotions in clearing the family home. Good communications on the day plus a very efficient and polite team - would highly recommend

Richard Strachan. Edinburgh

Flytipping - A Scourge on Our Communities

Just a couple of days ago, we were completing some clearance work for a client and were appalled at the amount of discarded waste that had clearly been tipped on the roadside. To compound the issue, materials were tipped into the watercourse.

Now, as some of this material even had names and addresses on it(!), I’ll assume that they had indeed spent the time and effort to pay for the safe and responsible disposal of their waste. It was the guy riding in with the Stetson hat and the denim shirt that let them badly down. If this were to be pursued by the authorities, it would end up back at the door of those named in the waste, not the cowboy who tipped it. All of a sudden what seemed like a cheap solution to their problem becomes a much bigger legal problem!

So please, PLEASE don’t be shy about asking some important questions before engaging anyone to clear your waste. I understand how frustrating it is right now to just ‘get things done’; you’re at home more, there are jobs that you’ve never had time to do, your junk and waste is mounting but the public facilities are all closed. It’s difficult for us all right now to do the right thing.

Ask these questions before you pay anyone to remove your house or garden waste:

1. Can you tell me where you will dispose of my waste? Any professional, legally compliant company should know exactly how, where, and when your materials will be disposed of. At NuGen we will even send you pictures of safe disposal on request.

2. Are you licenced by SEPA? A licence to remove and responsibly dispose of materials is only granted to those businesses who are serious about the local community and wider impact on the environment.

3. Is this your business? Everyone has to make a living, we get that. But there are too many cowboys treating our communities as the Wild West where anything goes. Fly tipping is unsightly, irresponsible, and potentially hazardous to the health and wellbeing of us all.

4. Do you have a website? If they're not prepared to put their name and reputation online - why?

5. Are you on social media; Facebook, Instagram? (check for reviews and current activity) See above

6. If something sounds too cheap to be true, it probably is! Not an open question, but you should certainly ask it of yourself. If you've looked around and the boy wearing the big hat is way cheaper then all of the questions above are even more important...

Just to be clear flytipping is the illegal dumping of waste/trash/junk onto land that has no licence to receive it. One black bag of rubbish, old tyres, unwanted furniture, electrical appliances; anyone found guilty can be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £200, a fine of up to £40,000 and/or prison. [See legislation extract]

NuGen will recycle, repurpose or upcycle over 98% of all materials we collect. There is often a cost to us in doing the right thing, so we may not be the cheapest but you can be assured that we'll help you, your community, and the environment in every job we do. It's why we do it.

Clear Waste is a national Free & Easy to use app for reporting fly‑tipping to help protect your local environment, prosecute waste criminals & build a better community for everyone your can find it here Report Fly-tipping.

We're passionate about what we do so if you need any help, guidance, or some advice please just give us a call or message us, any time.