Residents, businesses and landowners in Wyre Forest are being urged to back a new campaign Let’s SCRAP Flytipping.

The campaign – which launches in the district from today (Monday 24 June) – aims to reduce the amount of waste being dumped by the roadside and at local beauty spots.

Last year there were more than 700 incidents of flytipping reported across Wyre Forest blighting the district, costing thousands of pounds of public funds to clear away.

Now Wyre Forest District Council wants to encourage residents, businesses and landlords to help tackle this problem and prevent waste from getting into the hands of flytippers and report incidents so action can be taken against those responsible.

Flytipping of household, industrial and commercial waste is a serious criminal offence that carries an unlimited fine or prison sentence of up to 5 years. 

As the campaign gets under way one of the first tasks is to remind householders about their responsibility to check the credentials of anyone they may pay to take away household waste to ensure it is legally and responsibly disposed of.

They want residents to follow this simple checklist:

S - Suspect ALL waste carriers

C - Check with the Environment Agency on 03708 506 506 that they are licensed to take away your rubbish.

R - Refuse unexpected offers to have your waste taken away

A - Ask what will happen to your waste

P - Paperwork check they have the correct Waste Carrier Licence and make sure you get a full receipt.

Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Community Protection, Councillor Helen Dyke: “I really hope the public will get behind this new campaign. No-one likes to see our district blighted in this way.

“Not only is it antisocial, but it also poses a danger to health and goes against everything we are trying to achieve to keep our district clean, safe and looking good.

“Residents have a big part to play by make sure their waste does not end up in the hands of flytippers and I hope everyone gets behind this new campaign so we can crack down on flytipping.”

Cabinet Member for Operational Services Councillor John Thomas said: “Our enforcement team investigates every incident to try and trace those responsible and bring them to book.

“If we have evidence or witness reports we can issue fixed penalty notices or refer cases to the courts which have additional powers to issue fines or even imprison those responsible, but to do this we need the public’s support.”

Look out for Let’s SCRAP Flytipping messages and updates at www.wyreforestdc.gov.uk/flytipping and on Facebook and Twitter.