Have you ever wondered about your responsibilities with your waste? An article was published on the West Leeds Dispatch which expressed that we all should take responsibility with our waste or risk the chance of being fined. So, not managing your waste responsibly could result in an environmental issue as well as seeing you receive a hefty fine.
The same applies when booking a skip. In this article, we’ll look at what you need to consider when hiring a skip to dispose of your waste, no matter whether your homeowner or a business.
Checking that your supplier is licensed.
One of the most important factors to consider is whether the skip hire company you’ve hired is licensed to actually take your waste away. A licensed skip company will be able to show you their waste carriers’ registration, a document that tells you if that company is okay to take your waste away. This is probably the most important thing to check, as it could be that the very cheap skip company you have found are dumping your waste illegally, which could see you receiving the punishment for their wrong-doings.
A press release was published recently by the government, which referenced two Essex-based companies being fined for hiring an unlicensed skip company, which resulted in them paying a hefty fine. The two businesses hired a company to take their waste away but were later slapped with a fine of up to £45,000 each, which they had to pay all because the skip company they hired fly-tipped their waste and were not licensed.
So, to avoid a similar incident happening to you, then it’s best to check that you’re Skip company is licensed!
Make sure your waste is going to a licensed landfill or waste transfer station
The Government Statistical Service had reported in 2017-2018, that England had just under a million fly-tipping incidents (998,000) with a third of them being business waste. Though it’s all well and good hiring a licensed skip company, but as the Essex companies found out, you need to also make sure your waste is going to a licensed location.
No matter who’s taking away your waste, be that being yourself or a skip company, you’re completely responsible for it. A recent article published by the Braintree and Witham Times named and shamed a businessman caught fly-tipping his waste. The businessman was fined £1,805 for dumping his rubbish at the back of a building in Duke Street, Chelmsford. Shocking!
A waste transfer note
Once you’ve checked that your waste is being collected by licensed skip company and is going to a licensed location, next would be to make sure you have a waste transfer note. A waste transfer note is proof that your waste has been dealt with responsibly, something those Essex companies could have done with! When hiring a skip, the skip companies tend to ask what waste you are going to be disposing of. The waste transfer note can help you answer that question and shows exactly what waste is being collected.
Generally, a waste transfer note has to be valid and tick certain boxes in order for skip company to take away. Using SkipHire UK’s checklist, here are a few questions to ask yourself:
- Have you described the waste?
- How is the waste stored?
- Who is producing the waste?
- Who is collecting the waste?
- Are they licensed and do they have a permit?
- Where is the waste being collected from?
- Where is the waste being disposed?
- Is it licensed and does it have a permit?
So to conclude, remember to give a quick check regarding the points above and you’ll be spared of any hefty fine like Essex companies received. Make sure you know your responsibilities when dealing with waste and you can help reduce those spiraling fly-tipping stats!
