20/03/2006
- From today (20 March 2006), the Environment Agency
and Stoke-on-Trent City Council are targeting 49
phone boxes across Stoke-on-Trent in a poster campaign
designed to deter waste cheats.
The posters, funded by the Government’s
Business Resource Efficiency and Waste Program (BREW),
make clear our joint determination to stamp out
fly-tipping in the city. Offenders who fly-tip waste
will be prosecuted and face fines of up to £50,000.
They could even end up in prison.
The BREW project in Stoke involves
us working with the police, local authority and
other enforcement and education partners to make
a particular effort to crack down on this problem
It is often unregistered waste-carriers
who are responsible for illegally dumping, or fly-tipping,
waste. Together with the Council, we are encouraging
people to take responsibility for their own waste
and ensure it does not get into the hands of these
illegal operators.
Businesses have a long-standing
duty of care to dispose of their waste properly.
Since last November (2005), householders too can
be prosecuted and fined up to £5,000 if their
waste is illegally dumped by a waste carrier.
Anyone can check whether a waste
carrier is registered by looking at the Environment
Agency’s on-line register of waste carriers www.environment-agency.gov.uk/publicregister.
Unregistered waste carriers should be reported to
us on 08708 506506.
Incidents of illegal waste disposal
should be reported to the City Council on 01782
234234
Environment Agency Area Manager,
Steve Morley, says: "The posters going up today
on Stoke-on-Trent phone boxes demonstrate just how
serious we are about this. We will not tolerate
people spoiling the environment for everyone by
dumping waste illegally and residents shouldn’t
tolerate it either.
"If everyone takes responsibility
for their own waste, we can drive out the fly-tippers,
make Stoke-on-Trent a better place for everyone
and save a lot of money for council-tax payers."
Elected Mayor at the city council,
Mark Meredith, said: "We are happy to be working
with the Environment Agency to clampdown on fly
tipping and continue to strive for a
cleaner city, with the public's help. We want them
to dob on a dumper."
