Duty of Care for Household Waste

 The regulations mean that everyone has a ‘Duty of Care’ to make sure their waste is disposed of properly. If you give waste to someone else to take away, it’s your responsibility to make sure they are authorised to do so. If you don’t make sure your waste is disposed of responsibly you could be facing a fine of up to £5000.

In 2008/09 the council dealt with 336 cases of flytipping, nearly two thirds of this was household waste – the costs of removing which were met by the taxpayers. So, by not making sure your waste is removed responsibly you could be paying for its removal twice!

Before you let someone other than the council take waste away for you, you should:

• Ask the person taking the waste where it will be going and ask to see their Waste Carriers licence. If they don’t have one, don’t use them!
• Check whether they are registered by calling the Environment Agency on 08708 506506 for an instant waste carriers validation check, or by visiting the Environment Agency's Public Registers web page
• Keep a record of any paperwork they give you, the dates you used them, their name, telephone number and registration number so that if they do fly tip your waste you will be able to pass their details to the council.
• Report anyone who is not registered to the Environment Agency on 08708 506506.

Any household bulky items or waste which won’t fit into your wheeled bin can be disposed of free of charge at any of the Household Waste and Recycling Centres.

If you are unable to use these sites, the council offers a bulky refuse collection service for up to 5 freestanding items (or 10 sacks) for £22.00 – to order these services call the Refuse Hotline on 0845 6066045 (Local Rate Call) or fill in the online 'Request collection of a Bulky Household item' form below.

If you want any further information about your Duty of Care, then call the Environmental Protection team on 01473 825890 or email environmental.protection@babergh.gov.uk .