Illegal waste carriers to be targeted in clampdown

A joint operation is to be held between agencies to clamp down on illegal waste carriers and rogue traders.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) will join forces with colleagues from Denbighshire County Council, North Wales Police and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) for a day of action in Rhyl.

The partnership operation will target waste carriers who are operating without a permit or licence and criminals who use the roads to commit waste offences.

Any suspect vehicles will be stopped with the aim of finding out if there is any waste on board their vehicle and where it is due to end up. If any waste offences are found to have been committed, NRW Enforcement Officers will then deal with them accordingly.

Damage

Heledd Wynne-Evans, NRW Fly-tipping Action Wales Officer, said: “Clamping down and taking action against illegal waste carriers and offenders who can cause significant damage to our natural environment is part of our commitment to protect people and nature in Wales.

“Our partners are currently having to deal with around 120 fly tips a month from the Westend of Rhyl with an annual average cost of over £100,000. This planned day of action offers a vital opportunity to clamp down on illegal waste offenders in the area.

“We would also like to take this opportunity to call on anyone who suspects illegal waste activity in their area to report it via NRW’s incident hotline on 0300 065 3000. If you see an incident of fly-tipping in your local area, please report it to your local authority.”

Anti-social behaviour

Cllr Barry Mellor, Denbighshire County Council’s Lead Member for Environment & Transport, said: “Fly-tipping is a form of anti-social behaviour and a criminal offence. It’s a blight on the landscape and has a negative impact on the quality of life for residents.

“The vast majority of people are law-abiding citizens who dispose of their waste responsibly through our council waste collections or by taking items to our recycling centres. We have adopted a permanent booking system at all of our recycling centres because we found that it makes them more efficient to operate and more convenient for the public as it reduces queuing at peak times.

“There is no excuse for dumping rubbish anywhere and the Council will not tolerate this behaviour. If anyone has information about offenders they should get in touch and we will deal with those people through the appropriate channels.”

In addition to the clampdown, Fly-tipping Action Wales will also be at The White Rose shopping centre on Tuesday 30 January to speak with residents about waste duty of care responsibilities as a community.

There will also be a litter picking session and local alleyways will be tidied with support from with support from the Community Payback Team supervised by the Probation Service.