Stores brought in to help stop fly-tipping
DIY stores and builders' merchants across Cannock Chase district have been enlisted to help in the battle to crack down on fly-tipping.
DIY stores and builders' merchants across Cannock Chase district have been enlisted to help in the battle to crack down on fly-tipping.
Thirteen stores are displaying posters and handing out leaflets in the run-up to the bank holiday weekend at the end of the month that remind householders and tradesmen about their responsibilities over the disposal of waste. The initiative is part of Cannock Chase Council's Environmental Enforcement Action Plan for 2009/10.
As many households across the district prepare for a bank holiday weekend of DIY, there will be a huge amount of waste generated and the council does not want to see any of it being fly-tipped.
Waste generated by DIY or as a result of work on the home should be disposed of properly by using a skip provided by a licensed waste carrier or taking the waste to a licensed landfill site, such as the Poplars or the site at Power Station Road, Rugeley.
Residents can check if a company or individual is a licensed waste carrier by calling the Environment Ag-ency on 08708 506506.
If a resident gives waste to a third party and this is then fly-tipped, he or she can be prosecuted for failing in their duty of care, with a possible £5,000 fine.
The council has successfully prosecuted a number of residents for this recently. The maximum fine for flytipping is £50,000 and/or up to five years in prison.
Residents who see someone tipping rubbish is asked to make a note of the time and date, location, description of waste tipped, vehicle registration number and, if possible, a description of the fly-tipper and pass them on to Cannock Chase Council as soon as possible on 01543 462621.
An on-line form can also be completed via the www. cannockchasedc.gov.uk website.
Councillor Tony Williams, Cannock Chase Council environmental sustainability leader, said: "I urge everyone to dispose of their waste correctly and I thank the DIY stores and builders' merchants for their help in getting this message out to the public."
Linwood Trade Supplies on Anglesey Business Park, Littleworth Road, Hednesford, is one of the businesses to have worked with the council to get the message across.
