Peterborough City Council is teaming up with Keep Britain Tidy for ‘Fight Fly-Tipping Fortnight’, a campaign warning residents about criminal waste traders who use convincing, professional-looking online ads to pose as legitimate businesses - only to illegally dump the rubbish they are paid to take away.
Fly-tipping continues to be a serious problem in Peterborough, costing the authority significant funds to tackle which could be better spent on public services. The council is actively working to tackle the issue having launched its 'Love Where You Live' campaign and recently started free community bulky waste collections.
Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight calls on people in Peterborough to protect themselves and their communities from falling for a #RubbishDeal - low-cost, unlicensed services offered using appealing ads on social media by organised waste criminals. Rogue waste traders hide in plain sight behind professional-looking adverts, ‘five-star’ reviews and tempting prices, making it difficult to tell them apart from legitimate operators. What they don’t tell you is where your rubbish could end up.
The campaign is helping residents know what to look out for and make simple checks before handing over their rubbish to avoid it being illegally dumped on streets, fields and public spaces.
The council is supporting Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight via our social media channels and calling on households to take three simple steps to avoid a #RubbishDeal:
- Ask for a waste carrier licence
- Check the number on the Environment Agency’s public register at https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers or call 0300 065 3000)
- Check you’ll get a receipt
Councillor Chris Wiggin, Peterborough City Council's Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “Our teams work tirelessly to tackle fly-tipping, but we need our community’s help to stop it at the source. No one wants to think that the person they’ve paid to take away an old sofa, mattress or pile of household rubbish could simply dump it somewhere else in their community. But rogue waste traders are making money from doing exactly that - leaving councils and local residents to deal with the consequences.
“We’re asking our residents to make three simple checks before handing over their rubbish: ask to see a waste carrier licence, check it on the Environment Agency register and get a receipt. It only takes a few minutes and can help protect you, your community and our local environment from fly-tipping.”
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive Officer at Keep Britain Tidy, said: “Local authorities see first-hand the damage fly-tipping causes, working every day to clear illegally dumped waste and protect the places their communities value. Tackling the problem places huge demands on already stretched council teams, which is why we’re so pleased to have Peterborough City Council supporting Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight this year.
“Our message is simple: don’t fall for a #RubbishDeal. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.”
For more information about Fly-tipping Fortnight visit the Keep Britain Tidy website. Further details about fly-tipping and finding licensed waste carriers in Peterborough can be found on our Fly-tipping, litter, graffiti and street cleaning page.