Help fight against fly-tipping and make the right choice
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is Scotland's principal environmental regulator, protecting and improving Scotland's environment. They are very clear, your waste is your responsibility and householders and members of the public can help tackle fly tipping.
Around 80% of fly tipping in West Lothian is caused by commercial dumping. Businesses are legally required to make their own arrangements to make sure any waste they produce is disposed of responsibly. There are several recycling centres for businesses locally.
Commercial fly tipping doesn't only involve big businesses or trades professionals but also those who advertise on social media and van operators. Once there is a transaction between a household (or business) and a third party for disposal purposes, it becomes commercial and if the items get dumped, it is commercial fly tipping.
Offers from companies to collect and dispose of bulky household waste that seem too good to be true, usually are. You should ensure the costs you are quoted include the cost to dispose of your waste at a properly licensed waste disposal centre. Waste criminals profit at the expense of legitimate businesses, undercutting them by not paying to deposit waste at approved disposal sites and competing unfairly. It often leads to illegal fly tipping.
This also includes household items such as old bathroom/kitchen suites, flooring and large amounts of garden rubble.
Householders are also responsible for their waste.
Please remember, if you are allowing a business to remove items from your home (for example, an old bathrooms suite, flooring, garden waste), you are also responsible for ensuring that they have a Waste Carriers Licence which allows the business to access a commercial recycling centre to dispose of your waste.
SEPA advise you to carry out these checks before you agree to an uplift of your bulky household waste:
- If you are considering a quote from a waste carrier, check they are registered with SEPA by asking to see their registration number. If the company cannot give you a number, they are probably moving your waste illegally and you are probably committing a criminal offence. You should only give your waste to a registered waste carrier.
Match their registration number on the register: Register of Waste Carriers and Brokers (opens new window)
or contact SEPA (opens new window) and check that the waste disposal site they are taking your waste to is properly licenced.
- There are low cost alternatives to dispose of your bulky household waste.
- Use a local disposal company with a waste carriers licence
- Hire a skip (from a company with a waste carriers licence)
- Hire a van and take it to a local Recycling Centre
- Book a bulky uplift
Please make the right choice.
Please protect your local community and act responsibly.
West Lothian Council's Don't Waste West Lothian campaign aims to encourage residents to report fly-tipping whenever you come across it. By reporting incidents quickly, it allows us to identify culprits more quickly which increases the chances of them being caught and punished.
