This week Sefton Council has launched a campaign to tackle the epidemic of fly-tipping that is affecting communities up and down the country.

#CrimeNotToCare, which is being run in partnership with environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, aims to educate householders about the right thing to do with their rubbish and to reduce the amount of household waste that is fly-tipped by rogue traders who offer to take people’s waste away for money and then dump it.

The campaign aims to spread the message that if an individual’s waste is fly-tipped, even if they gave it to a third party to dispose of, they can be prosecuted and end up with a fine and a criminal record.

To raise the profile of the issue locally, the Council’s Green Sefton service hosted a staged fly-tip in Poets Park, Bootle made up of items collected from the area.

Twenty black bags, three bed frames, a fridge freezer, washing machine and pram were among the items found fly-tipped early Tuesday morning on streets surrounding the Park.

The items were dressed in crime scene tape to raise awareness of the environmental damage of fly-tipping and start conversations between Council staff and the local community on ways to combat this issue collectively.

The Council’s Cleansing team were on hand to dispose of the fly-tipped items in a timely manner following the stunt.

Cllr Moncur, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing said: “At this time of year, many residents may be spring cleaning their homes and having a clear out. We need our residents to understand that their rubbish is their responsibility.”

Cllr Lappin, Cabinet Member for Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services said: “Crime Not To Care campaign highlights the fact that residents can be taken to court and fined for giving their waste to an unlicensed waste carrier, who then goes on to fly-tip the items.

“Fly-tipping is a criminal offence and we want to remind residents that both littering and fly-tipping can lead to a Fixed Penalty Notice or prosecution.”

Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton said: “#CrimeNotToCare is an important campaign for our country and we are delighted that Sefton Council is partnering with us on it.

“There are almost a million fly-tipping incidents in England every year and cleaning it all up costs us more than £50million a year.

“Giving it to a ‘man with a van’ who offers to get rid of it cheaply could prove costly for people and result in them getting a criminal record. They have a duty of care and this campaign will help explain to them exactly what that is and how to protect themselves.”

Householders using private contractors to remove household, garden or construction waste must make sure the company or individual is a registered waste carrier. Residents are advised to:

Ask the person who collects your waste to see their registration – it should start with CBDU, followed by a set of numbers. Take a photo if possible.

To check their credentials, visit the Government's registered waste carrier webpages or call the Environment Agency on 03708 506506.

Ask where they’re proposing to take your waste and if they have a waste transfer note.

Don’t pay cash. Ask for an invoice and pay by a secure payment method or cheque, so payments can be traced if the waste is fly-tipped.

If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. If you’re hiring a skip, the average cost should be around £150.

Never agree to cold callers offering any type of home improvements work, roofing, gardening services, tree surgery or household waste removal.

Not checking if you’re hiring a registered operator could be more expensive in the long run, as householders can face an unlimited fine for failing to hire an authorised waste carrier.

You can expect to see a ‘Waste Carrier Registration’ for these types of businesses:

• All building and associated trades;
• Landscape gardeners, tree fellers and surgeons;
• House clearers;
• Retail establishments and;
• Scrap metal dealers.

Residents can also dispose of their waste at Sefton’s Household Recycling and Waste Centres run by the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority. Find the locations and site opening times in the Local Tips and Recycling Centres webpage. 

For an alternative to local tips and recycling, you can visit the Bulky Waste section of the Sefton Council website to arrange a collection.