Fly tipping hotspots near local industrial estates are being targeted by Environment Officers in a bid to clean them up, as part of partnership campaign clamping down on fly-tipping in Swansea .
Waste experts from Swansea Council and Environment Agency Wales, both members of the all-Wales partnership, Fly-tipping Action Wales*, met with businesses located on different industrial estates in Swansea to discuss waste management issues and their responsibilities under Duty of Care legislation.
Some of the businesses were also given advice about ways of making their units more secure against fly tipping offenders.
The campaign week aimed to inform and encourage businesses and householders to use legitimate firms to dispose of their waste responsibly and legally. Otherwise, they could find that their waste has been fly-tipped, which could lead to large fines or even imprisonment.
Sarah Jones, Swansea Council’s Tidy Towns Officer said, “The businesses we spoke to are working hard to keep their land clean. Unfortunately, a number of selfish individuals are targeting these sites and think it is ok to dump waste with no regard to the local businesses.
“Hopefully, some of the business owners can monitor their own sites and work with us to help improve the situation.
Emma Killian, Fly-tipping Action Wales Co-ordinator for South West Wales, said, “We’re pleased to be working in partnership with Swansea Council, Environment Agency Wales and Communities First on the Total Focus Week to let residents and business owners know that there are ways of dealing with waste efficiently and legally to prevent cases of fly-tipping.
“Most of the businesses we spoke with were fully aware of their legal responsibilities, but some owners weren’t completely aware of their duty of care and could easily have found themselves facing criminal charges.
“Fly-tipping is an unnecessary blight on communities across Wales and carries a high cost for tax payers. Everyone has a responsibility to dispose of their household or business waste safely and legally.”
