Waste Disposal – A Cautionary Tale

A recent court case highlights the need for those who are paying to have their waste removed and disposed of to check out the bona fides of those who are doing the disposal. Neil Farrow is the owner of The Bike Shop in Cambridge, who was summoned and prosecuted for fly-tipping when bike frames, wheels and tyres were found dumped by the side of the road in Cambridgeshire.

Mr. Farrow was moving shop and had half a van load of scrap, which he was about to take to the local tip when two travellers turned up and offered to take it for £60. However, they merely dumped it in a nearby lay-by and ditches and Mr. Farrow was contacted by the district council. He offered to pay to get the waste cleared and eventually went and cleared it away himself, only to receive a summons 18 months later.

The story gets worse for Mr. Farrow, as he was fined £1,000, plus £860 costs by magistrates because he had not checked that the waste disposal service was licensed. Councillor Ray Manning summed up the case, saying: “It is a stark warning to anyone with waste which needs disposing – it was simply as a result of not checking that the waste operators were officially licensed that Mr. Farrow was faced with liability.”