South Cambridgeshire business fined for disposing of trade waste at household waste recycling centre

A Harston business has been fined £300 for disposing of their trade waste at a household waste recycling centre.

South Cambridgeshire District Council investigated after being informed the business was not using a registered trade waste contractor as required by law.

The company was asked to produce documentation for the previous two years relating to waste generated as part of its business and admitted it had no agreement in place.

It was issued with a fixed penalty notice for £300, reduced to £180 for prompt payment.

The company then provided details of a new agreement with a registered waste carrier.

Under environmental laws, all businesses are required to have their waste collected by an Environment Agency-registered waste contractor, completing a Waste Transfer Note, which confirms safe disposal for each load of waste that leaves their premises.

The paperwork must be kept for a minimum of two years and produced on request. If this does not happen and waste is allowed to be taken away by unlicensed carriers, it can lead to fines and a criminal record.

All residents using a contractor to remove rubbish from their homes have the same duty of care.

South Cambridgeshire District Council’s lead cabinet member for environment, Cllr Brian Milnes, said: “Both businesses and residents must make sure their rubbish is being taken away by a licensed contractor on the Environment Agency’s register. This way, you can be confident that your waste will not end up dumped. Cutting off the supply of waste to non-registered carriers is an important step to preventing fly-tipping.”

If you witness someone fly-tipping, call the police on 999 and report it as an environmental crime in progress.

All environmental crime should be reported through the council’s website in the "Report it" section and scrolling down to "Environment".