Householders who have their waste taken away by unregistered waste carriers risk a £300 fine, a national organisation says.

Waste partnership Fly-tipping Action Wales is urging householders in Powys to get rid of their unwanted household items and rubbish responsibly, in a bid to tackle fly-tipping.

With more than two-thirds of fly-tipping incidents in Wales containing waste from people’s homes, a national public awareness campaign is being launched today to inform householders about their legal duty to ensure that anybody they give their household waste to is a registered waste carrier.

If householders don’t make the appropriate checks, they risk a £300 fine or even prosecution, if an enforcement officer finds they haven’t checked or if they haven’t exercised their household waste duty of care. Fly-tipping Action Wales also recommends that people ask for a receipt from the company used to remove the waste and to record details of the business and vehicle details (make, model, registration).

Figures from a recent survey revealed that only 56% of people in Wales understand what Household Waste Duty of Care is when getting rid of household rubbish or unwanted items, with a further 30% of people noting fly-tipping to be a major or significant problem in their community.

Gary Evans, Programme Manager at Fly-tipping Action Wales, said: “The introduction of this £300 Fixed Penalty Notice is a crucial step towards helping reduce the number of fly-tipping incidents in Wales — specifically because such a large quantity comes from households. People across Wales need to understand that fly-tipping is a crime, and it is vital we all take the necessary steps to avoid illegal operators who undermine genuine waste service providers.”

Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government Hannah Blythyn added: “Fly-tipping continues to be a major problem facing communities across Wales. We all have a responsibility to make sure our waste doesn’t end up in the wrong hands, and these Fixed Penalty Notices provide Local Authorities across Wales with an alternative tool to help tackle the problem. I believe it is important that people understand the damage fly-tipping does to the environment and ensure they always use registered waste carriers when disposing of household items.”

When arranging the removal of household waste, people in Wales are advised to check with Natural Resources Wales that the person or company they are using is registered by visiting naturalresources.wales/checkWaste or calling 03000 653000.