The Danger of Using a 'Man with a Van' to Take Your Rubbish Away

The Danger of Using a
‘Man with a Van’ to Take Your Rubbish Away

Have you ever had a mattress or an old armchair cluttering up your garage or even your garden and had no idea what to do with it? Maybe your council charges for the collection of bulky items or they don’t collect them at all so you’d have to go to the expense of hiring a van and taking them to your local tip. But what if a friendly man with a van comes along and offers to take your rubbish at a knock down price?

Don’t take him up on it. Anyone who disposes of rubbish needs a licence from the Environment Agency and if the man with a van doesn’t have one, you’re liable if it’s disposed of illegally or incorrectly.

Like a woman from hull who paid a ‘man with a van’ £5 to clean her wheelie bin only to be fined by the council after he fly-tipped the contents. The woman was fined £680 after the rubbish which included wrapping paper, cardboard boxes, nappies and other household waste was dumped at the  side of a road and traced back to her.

She was found guilty of failing to check whether she had used an authorised waste carrier. She admitted that she did not take the man’s details, check whether or not he had a licence, or get a receipt.

East Riding council have urged residents to use licensed waste carriers and to always get a receipt when money changes hands, because the responsibility to dispose of waste legally and correctly lies with them. They added that they investigate all reports of fly-tipping and evidence found will be used to take further action which could include a fixed penalty of £400 or prosecution. If a case goes to court, offenders can face an unlimited fine or even a jail term.

Residents who need to dispose of bulky waste can use the council’s bulky waste collection service or take it to their local household waste recycling site.

Details of licensed waste carriers can be found on your local council’s website.