Published Wednesday 23 June 2021 at 12:32
A Blackburn resident has been ordered to pay £731 in court fines after his waste was fly-tipped on nearby land.
Mr Shazad Malik pleaded not guilty to two offences on 1st June 2021, one that saw him knowingly permit the deposit of controlled waste and another that saw him fail to transfer controlled waste to an authorised person.
The court found him guilty, and he was ordered to pay a £120 fine, £300 in court costs, £277 compensation and a £34 victim surcharge.
If you intend to employ someone to remove or dispose of your waste, then they need to be licensed to do so.
Waste carriers licenses are obtained via the Environment Agency. You can check via their website if someone is authorised.
Although many waste removal companies have a waste carrier’s license, this doesn’t always mean they are disposing of waste responsibly or legally.
In order to be absolutely certain that they are, you should obtain a waste transfer note and details of where the waste is being taken to for disposal.
We urge all residents to please ensure that any waste removal service they use is reputable, otherwise you are also liable for a fine.
Councillor Jim Smith, Executive Member for Environment at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, said:
We cannot emphasise how important it is to make sure you’re giving your waste to an authorised person or company.
You cannot trust just anyone to dispose of waste responsibly – they have to be a reputable business that holds a license and holds the correct documentation.
Otherwise, we see cases such as this, where the waste ends up fly-tipped in a local area and becomes a blight for the surrounding community.
Our household waste recycling centres are open over a seven day period in Blackburn and Darwen, so there really is no excuse for dumping rubbish out of your vehicle or letting waste pile up.
If you can’t manage your waste and need advice or assistance when it comes to removing it, please do get in touch and ask for help.
With prices starting from just £7.50, we at the Council can help you dispose of waste safely ourselves!
I would like to thank our Environmental Waste Crime team for their hard work and dedication in bringing forward this prosecution.
Last year, the Environmental Waste Crime team received payment for 66 fixed penalty notices and handled 49 prosecutions, despite a sustained period of suspension to court services due to the pandemic.
Please help us stop waste crimes by reporting them via the Council website: https://www.blackburn.gov.uk/waste-and-recycling
The Council is also committed to educating and informing residents on the correct ways to responsibly dispose of waste, and the Environment and Waste team have employed an Education Officer to lead on this task.
Visit www.recyclebwd.org to find lots of helpful information, including what items go in what bin, tips and tricks when it comes to household rubbish and translated video guides. The website can also be accessed in many different languages.
Residents should also make use of our two Household Waste Recycling Centres, open over a seven day period in Blackburn and Darwen.
Or, if you’re struggling to remove bulky waste yourself, then book via our waste collection service – please DO NOT fly-tip or leave your items in back alleys.