Fly tipping - when does it become your responsibility?
Fly tipping - when does it become your responsibility?
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Discussion

Psycho Warren

Original Poster:

3,087 posts

142 months

Tuesday 4th May 2021
quotequote all
Recently some scum types dumped a load of old car batteries on the pavement near my drive.

Reported it to the council and expected the usual long wait until it is cleared up.

However as the rubbish was partially blocking the pavement, some locals have taken to pushing some of them into my drive to make way. (seen on CCTV).

Now obviously as I don't want to clear them up myself, i push them back onto the pavement where they come from.

Is that technically fly tipping on my behalf? Ie as soon as someone pushes them onto my drive, they legally become my responsibility and hence pushing them off is technically fly tipping?

bigandclever

14,354 posts

267 months

Tuesday 4th May 2021
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No idea, but I had something similar a couple of weeks ago with gas canisters dumped on my drive. Moved them to the pavement, reported online to council, didn’t think any more of it. They came round the next day and picked them up. Maybe we’re both up for prosecution.

Dan_The_Man

1,166 posts

268 months

Tuesday 4th May 2021
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You are lucky, car batteries can be worth approx a tenner each if you weigh them in at the scrappy.

V8 Bob

302 posts

154 months

Tuesday 4th May 2021
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Yes valuable get them weighed in!

Psycho Warren

Original Poster:

3,087 posts

142 months

Tuesday 4th May 2021
quotequote all
Why would they dump them then? bit odd!!

Oceanrower

1,357 posts

141 months

Tuesday 4th May 2021
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40p a kilo a couple of weeks ago. I had some scissor lift batteries to weigh in. Just over £40 quid. Not a fortune but better than nothing and a little greener too.

Bennet

2,133 posts

160 months

Tuesday 4th May 2021
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Psycho Warren said:
Recently some scum types dumped a load of old car batteries on the pavement near my drive.
Just so we can all form an accurate mental picture, roughly how many is "a load"?

Psycho Warren

Original Poster:

3,087 posts

142 months

Tuesday 4th May 2021
quotequote all
Bennet said:
Just so we can all form an accurate mental picture, roughly how many is "a load"?
Only like 8-10 from memory. So too many to take to tip but probably too lazy for them to go a few trips to get rid and didnt realise they are worth something so they dumped them. Why on the road outside mine i dont know. Its on a main town road. Had they been a few meters closer to my drive, i'd of had them doing it on camera.

Beetnik

576 posts

213 months

Tuesday 4th May 2021
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Your analysis is correct; pushing it back means that you are indeed flytipping.

Andeh1

7,596 posts

235 months

Tuesday 4th May 2021
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I took 3 fly tipped tyres to the tip a couple of years ago.....Cost me £15 irked

Lead acid are profitable though.

Getragdogleg

10,206 posts

212 months

Tuesday 4th May 2021
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Took 7 car batteries to the scrapyard the other day and came out 51 quid richer.

final_edition

653 posts

244 months

Tuesday 4th May 2021
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Put a sign on them saying for sale £20

They will be gone before lunch the next day.

Jag_NE

3,339 posts

129 months

Tuesday 4th May 2021
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User name checks out.

lufbramatt

5,673 posts

163 months

Tuesday 4th May 2021
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Local scrap man collect some car batteries for £5-7 depending on size... as above get them weighed in, nice meal out there when the restaurants open properly :-)

Bennet

2,133 posts

160 months

Wednesday 5th May 2021
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Interesting because I was under the impression that you can't legally sell property just because someone left it on your land. At the same time though, somehow it's also your responsibility to dispose of it. It's as if the law wants it both ways.

Psycho Warren

Original Poster:

3,087 posts

142 months

Wednesday 5th May 2021
quotequote all
Beetnik said:
Your analysis is correct; pushing it back means that you are indeed flytipping.
When does it become flytipping? the second you push it back, or is there a reasonable time duration. So eg if i went psycho at someone for pushing one onto my drive and kept kicking it back in a tit for tat type thing literally every few seconds, would they be committing fly tipping by moving it from pavement to my drive and vice versa?

Would it be legally enforcable as a technicality or likely to never make it that far?

Short Grain

3,435 posts

249 months

Wednesday 5th May 2021
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Last summer some tts dumped loads of ste down the lane that runs behind our house, including an old mattress!! The binmen where due that day and leaned the mattress up against my gate!

My next door neighbours had actually seen this and told me. They'd also rung the council who told them it was their responsibility to remove the rubbish as they'd reported it! WTF??

I then sent a very polite email to the council explaining that it was their binmen who'd stacked it against my gate, effectively 'trapping me' and preventing me from bringing in my bin, which of course meant breaking the councils 'rules' over leaving bins out!! wink Attached a couple of pics taken by me standing on a ladder in my garden and looking out at the rubbish. frown Sad face of course!! hehe I also stressed that it wasn't the nice binmens fault as they had collection targets etc!! The email resulted in the whole lane being cleared then swept, twice, by the streetsweeping lorries! Sadly, some tt has dumped another matress, single this time, then someone dumped a petbed but that dissapeared next day so at least someone's pooch is now sleeping in comfort!

Seems that he who reports it, pays for it!! frown

Byker28i

91,447 posts

246 months

Wednesday 5th May 2021
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This has been an issue with the farmers our way, with flytippers taking rubbish then dumping it. It becomes the farmers responsibility who has to pay for it to be removed, by proper contractors, who provide a certificate where it went... etc.

Evoluzione

10,345 posts

272 months

Wednesday 5th May 2021
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Psycho Warren said:
Recently some scum types dumped a load of old car batteries on the pavement near my drive.

Reported it to the council and expected the usual long wait until it is cleared up.

However as the rubbish was partially blocking the pavement, some locals have taken to pushing some of them into my drive to make way. (seen on CCTV).

Now obviously as I don't want to clear them up myself, i push them back onto the pavement where they come from.

Is that technically fly tipping on my behalf? Ie as soon as someone pushes them onto my drive, they legally become my responsibility and hence pushing them off is technically fly tipping?
"Now obviously as I don't want to clear them up myself"

What an utterly moronic post. I can't believe people with so little common sense, so much stupidity and lack of morals live amongst us.
Your attitude makes me sick.
Its quite simple; put the batteries in your boot and take them to the nearest scrapyard.
Get paid.
Go home.
Tell people on social media what a good deed you did and got paid for it.

Psycho Warren

Original Poster:

3,087 posts

142 months

Wednesday 5th May 2021
quotequote all
did i st on your mums face or something? why should i clear up others peoples mess especially when its mostly on the pavement? why should i waste my fuel, take time out of the working day or my busy spare time to sort some criminals mess?

if they were my batteries, clearly yes. but they are some criminal scum classes mess that shouldnt be dumped there in the first place......

or are you one of those morons who thinks we should all spend our spare time picking litter off the streets and scrubbing graffiti off walls for some percieved civic duty?